


New Hope

by jamelia116, Penny_P, Voyager_Virtual Season_7-5_Staff_Writers (jamelia116)



Series: Voyager Virtual Season 7.5 [16]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 06:51:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19762834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jamelia116/pseuds/jamelia116, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Penny_P/pseuds/Penny_P, https://archiveofourown.org/users/jamelia116/pseuds/Voyager_Virtual%20Season_7-5_Staff_Writers
Summary: Voyager's crew must pick up the pieces after the disastrous end of their first transwarp venture.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> **(Author’s Note: The clock displayed at the start of each scene indicates time elapsed from the ship's landing.)**

**Prologue**  
  
**(-00:03)**  
  
Colonel Rahl of the Vordai Space Defense Force sat in the command chair of his ship and tried to stay awake. It was a quiet day. _They are all quiet days in this parsec_ , Rahl thought, and wondered how his career had come to be stalled here.  
  
Eleven years ago, this had been the center of activity in the region, the place where the four great powers contended for the right to colonize the only uninhabited planet in the region capable of supporting life without terraforming. This had been the place where promotions came almost weekly and a sapling could demonstrate its strength. Eleven years ago, Rahl himself had gained the attention of the High Command here, protecting the integrity of the Vordai claim against the forces of the Gunrath'u Oligarchy, the Minenne Confederacy and the Grevel-Ash Republic. Back then, he had dreamed of commanding a warship, possibly even the magnificent _Arbor Queen_ herself.  
  
But that was then. Today, Rahl commanded a lowly patrol ship that merely led other patrol ships. Today, the Gunrath'u-imposed peace and the treaty governing access to the Treaty World, as it was now known, made this patrol superfluous. There were no enemy ships, no probes and no surprises -- just day after day of monotony.  
  
"Colonel!"  
  
The urgency in the voice of his normally unflappable Subaltern startled Rahl from his thoughts. "What is it, Pahn?"  
  
"A ship just dropped out of transwarp," she said, pointing to the blinking light on the display.  
  
He stiffened. "Is it Borg?"  
  
"No, I think not. The shape is not geometric -- not a sphere or a cube. It's not in our records at all."  
  
Rahl bent down and looked at the data more closely. "You're right. No one in this sector has a design like that." _By the Great Forest_ , he thought, _this is a new species_. _And they have transwarp._ "Go to level two scanners."  
  
Pahn's delicate fingers flew skillfully over her panel, and the new, more detailed data appeared. "That ship is in trouble," she said. "No engines, environmental systems failing ... Sir --" she looked up at him, her nostrils flaring in an unmistakable reaction to sudden fear -- "that ship is heading for the Treaty Planet."  
  
It took less than a second to see that she was right. He hit the communications system. "Attention Alpha Wing. This is Colonel Rahl. A ship of unknown origin is about to crash or land on the Treaty Planet. Follow it but do not engage. I want data, not casualties."  
  
"Going to level one scan," Pahn said. "There are about 150 life signs on board. Several different species, I think. I don't recognize any of them."  
  
Rahl swallowed. _Several new species? What was this ship_?  
  
Whatever it was, it was going down hard. The screen showed the streak of the ship plummeting through the planet's atmosphere. "Alpha leader," Rahl said, "Can you give me visual?"  
  
"Affirmative." Rahl turned as his viewscreen lit up. The alien ship was as big as the Vordai flagship, the _Arbor Queen_ herself _,_ but looked like nothing he had ever seen. There were markings on the hull that were obscured by the heat surrounding the great ship. "Too fast," he said aloud. "It is coming in too fast."  
  
As if the strange ship had heard him, it shuddered and seemed to pause for just a moment, hanging in the troposphere. Then the descent began again, still swift but not fatally so. _Someone tried a desperate maneuver and it worked,_ he thought. _At least it's headed for the steppes on the southern continent. They've still got a chance._  
  
In seconds, the ship plowed into the ground, churning dirt and rock meters in every direction. It bounced twice and then stabilized abruptly, shaking visibly. "They must be equipped for landing," Rahl said, more to himself than to Pahn. "Stabilizers of some kind, I think. They must have gotten a grip on the surface."  
  
"Who are they?" Pahn asked.  
  
"I don't know." Rahl found himself smiling. This sector was going to get hot again. There might even be a promotion in it.  
  



	2. Act 1

**ACT ONE**  
  
**(00:00)**  
  
Harry Kim raised himself from the deck slowly. His head and shoulder were throbbing, but his thought processes were working clearly. The ship was down and he was alive, he decided. He tested that theory gently, shaking his head slightly. Yes, that hurt. He was definitely alive.  
  
The Bridge was filled with smoky haze and dust, the aftereffects of the automated fire suppression system. The acrid smell of burned circuitry stung his nostrils, and the emergency lighting looked strange, as if the heavy particles still swirling in the air were themselves illuminated. Most of all, the ship was quiet. There were no klaxons or alarms sounding, and no one was talking. The only sounds he heard were an occasional electrical crackle and some soft moaning.  
  
_Voyager_ was down. And he, Lieutenant (j.g.) Harry Kim, was still in command.  
  
Struggling, he pulled himself back into the captain's chair. "Report," he said, and coughed.  
  
No one responded immediately, and fear flashed through Harry. Was he the only one who made it? Then he heard someone else cough from the direction of the helm.  
  
"We've landed," he heard Tom say in an unnaturally thick voice.  
  
Relief washed through him; he wasn't alone. "You call that a landing?" he asked dryly, trying to joke but he knew that Tom had done a hell of a job. Barely five minutes earlier, Harry had been convinced they were going to die. He had seen the surface of the planet seemingly rush up to meet them, and he had resigned himself to imminent death.  
  
"Hey," Tom wheezed. "We're alive, aren't we? That's a landing."  
  
The haze was clearing enough that Harry could make out the silhouette of his friend, still on his knees. "Who else is with us? Sound off."  
  
"Jenkins," came Lora's voice from the same direction as Tom. Harry squinted and thought he saw Tom help her to her feet. "I don't think I'm hurt. That was something, wasn't it?"  
  
"Sometimes I think we have a guardian angel," Tom replied quietly.  
  
"Ayala. I'm okay." Harry swiveled and saw that the big man had been thrown nearly two meters from the Tactical Station. "Can't say the same for this console. It's dead."  
  
"Me, too," Jamie McMinn said from Operations, sounding shaken. "Wait -- I don't mean I'm dead, I mean I'm okay, I think. Ow. Maybe not. I think my ankle is broken."  
  
Tom went to the locker to fetch the emergency medkit on the deck as one by one, the rest of the Gamma shift Bridge crew called out. Harry nodded with satisfaction. All were accounted for. At least that was something. "What's working on this ship?" he called. The data monitor built into the command chair was not functional. "Where's the backup power? We need communications! Can anyone see anything in this haze?"  
  
“Backup system failure,” Ayala said from somewhere forward on the deck, stating the obvious, in Harry’s opinion. “Looks like we’re down to emergency lighting and life support. Security on each deck will initiate Emergency Protocol 001, evaluate the damage, and establish communication through runners. We should be getting updates from each deck soon.”  
  
He was right, Harry realized. The crew was well trained and would implement the disaster plan. It didn’t make him any less frustrated. “We need to know what we’re dealing with. Any way to vent this smoke?”  
  
“Hang on,” Ayala replied. In a moment, he continued, “According to my tricorder, the outside atmosphere is safe. If I open the forward hatch, we might clear some of this."  
  
Harry gritted his teeth for a moment. Opening the hatch based on only a tricorder reading was risky; there could be unknown dangers out there. But continuing to breathe the potentially toxic gases on the bridge was not a good idea either, and he really wanted to see what kind of shape they were in. “Do it.”  
  
Manually opening the hatch was a hard task, even for a man as strong as Ayala, but after a couple of grunts, he managed to swing the cover outward. Sunlight streamed in, sending diffuse ribbons of illumination through the haze. In just a few seconds, the haze dissipated, and Harry could finally see his surroundings. Every station was dark. A couple of struts had collapsed, several places were scorched, and there was debris almost everywhere.  
  
Yes, this is definitely a disaster, he thought, and what am I supposed to do about it? How am I supposed to get enough data to make decisions? And where is the Captain?  
  
Then he drew a breath. “Send a runner to Engineering. I need damage reports, and I also want to know when we can get some power to bring the backup systems online. And distribute side arms. As of now, all personnel are to be armed until the commanding officer declares the ship secure.”  
  
Tom looked up from where he was kneeling beside McMinn with the medical tricorder. Harry saw that there was a trickle of blood on his cheek and his right eye was already blackening. "I'll go to Engineering."  
  
"No, I need you here." Before Tom could protest, he added, "I'm sorry. But you're the most senior officer on the Bridge, even if I'm sitting in this chair. And we've got injured."  
  
"Send me to Engineering." Tom's voice was level but Harry recognized the tone -- his mind was made up. Harry understood why; B'Elanna was well into her final trimester, and Tom was surely worried about her and the baby. The helmsman stood, folding the tricorder and replacing it in the medkit. "You don't need me here. McMinn's ankle is sprained, not broken. No one else on the Bridge is hurt, and I won't be any good to you here. You won't be needing anyone at the helm for a while."  
  
Harry hesitated, then nodded. "All right, go. Find out about the power and the backup systems - especially communications. Then make your way to Deck Five and check on the Doc. If he didn't download himself into his mobile emitter, you're our chief medic for the foreseeable future. If you have to stay in Sickbay, send someone up with your report."  
  
With a quick nod, Tom picked up a phaser and a wrist light from the storage locker and headed for the Jefferies tube and pulled the hatch open. Harry called after him, "And Tom, see if you can find the captain, or Chakotay. Or Tuvok." Silently he added, _Please find them_. _At least one of them._ He wasn't ready to be the commander of a planet bound starship.  
  
  
**(00:03 -- 00:10)**  
  
It was pitch black and eerily quiet inside the port turbolift as _Voyager_ 's command officers struggled to their feet. The lift had dropped several decks before suddenly jerking to a stop, and for a few heart stopping moments, Janeway and Chakotay had feared they would meet their deaths at the bottom of the shaft.  
  
"Are you all right, Kathryn?" Chakotay asked, as he felt along the wall for the emergency compartment. It would have two wristband lights in it.  
  
For a tense moment, she didn’t answer and all sorts of terrible scenarios went through his mind. Then, “I may have bruised some places I didn’t know could be bruised, but otherwise I’m fine. What about you?”  
  
“No permanent damage.” He smiled in the dark as he found the compartment door and then the wristbands inside. He activated the light before snapping the band around his wrist, and handed the second one to Kathryn. “Here. This should help.”   
  
She fastened it around her wrist and turned it on, her face ghostly pale in the small circle light it emitted. Everywhere else was swathed in darkness.  
  
"Any guesses as to what happened?"  
  
"Off the top of my head, I'd say we've landed," Chakotay answered.  
  
"Or been attacked," Janeway added.  
  
The XO shook his head. "I don't think so. If somebody wanted to take us out of commission, they would have either destroyed _Voyager_ outright or replaced our crew with theirs. Something must have gone wrong with the transwarp."  
  
The captain tapped her combadge. "Janeway to Bridge."  
  
No response.  
  
"Well communications are obviously off line," she said. "Computer, resume lift to Deck One."  
  
Again, no response.  
  
"I suppose it would have been too much to hope that the turbolifts would actually be functional," Chakotay remarked, unable to stifle a sudden thought that popped into his mind. _This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I fantasized about being stuck in a turbolift with Kathryn._  
  
Shaking off his inappropriate musings, he returned his attention to the situation at hand. "Where do you think we are?"  
  
"I have no idea, but we're definitely closer to the bottom of the ship than the top. If we can climb the shaft to the nearest deck, we should be able to reach the Jefferies tubes and figure out our location from there."  
  
"Assuming the Jefferies tubes are still accessible," Chakotay said.  
  
"We don't have a choice. If the lift starts falling again, then we're going straight down and I'd rather not be turned into a Human pancake. We need to get to the Bridge to find out what's happened and take stock of the casualties and damage."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Chakotay concurred. "Well, the first thing we need to do is get out of this turbolift, so we'd better get started." He tried forcing the door manually, and when it didn’t budge, he glanced upward. "It looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way. I'll boost you up first and then follow."  
  
“Try the manual release to open the escape hatch at the top of the lift,” the captain said.  
  
Chakotay nodded. “I’m on it.” After a few moments, a slight noise confirmed his success. It was no less dark, but Chakotay gratefully breathed in the nominally fresher air which entered the lift. He then turned to Janeway and, cupping his hands together as a makeshift step, braced himself to hoist her up. The captain placed her hands on his shoulders and used her own momentum as well as the extra inertia from Chakotay to lift herself up and into the shaft.  
  
Grunting with the effort of lifting herself up, Janeway at last managed to haul her body through the emergency hatch and collapsed with an audible thud on the top of the lift.  
  
"I'm getting too old for this," she muttered.  
  
"Captain?"  
  
"Just talking to myself, Commander," she responded, and reached an arm through the hatch to grab Chakotay's hand. "Your turn."  
  
Grabbing Janeway's hand, Chakotay braced himself on the railing and used his other hand to grab the edge of the open hatch. Gritting his teeth against the strain on his shoulders and upper arms, with Janeway's assistance he managed to haul himself up and through the open hatch and collapsed on the turbolift roof beside the captain.  
  
"I'm getting too old for this," he muttered.  
  
Janeway smiled. "I know the feeling," she replied, and got to her feet. She shone her wrist light upwards “Well, that’s not too bad,” she said. “It looks like we’re only about three meters below Deck Nine." She reached out and swung herself on to the ladder and began to climb. "Let's go."  
  
"I’m right behind you, Captain."  
  
  
**(00:30 -- 01:00)**  
  
Traveling from Deck One to Deck Eleven via Jefferies tubes normally took an hour and forty minutes, crawling and climbing at a normal pace in normal light. In darkness relieved only by his wrist light, Tom reached Deck 11 in just fifty-five minutes, not caring that his hands were raw from friction burns caused by sliding down ladders instead of climbing, or that his knees were scraped and bruised through his uniform. He emerged from the tube to find Main Engineering eerily dark. The warp core was down, and there was no light except for that of the wrist lights the staff had strapped on, sending tunnels of white light in all directions. People were moving about and shouting. He focused on the voices and finally heard the one he was seeking. "B'Elanna!" he called.  
  
"Tom?" One of the streaks of light turned in his direction, momentarily blinding him. "Sorry," she said, and moved so that it was not shining directly into his face. "Kahless. You're all right. What happened?"  
  
"I was just about to ask you that."  
  
"The entire transwarp system simply blew apart, Tom. It was all over in less than 60 seconds. Those blips we've been seeing must have been the sign that everything _wasn't_ okay. Nothing like this ever showed up in our simulations. "  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
She shrugged. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the light, he could see that she was disheveled and sporting a bruise on her face, but otherwise, showed no injuries. "Fine." She rolled her eyes back, indicating the Engineering staff. "We're both okay. When we realized we were going down, Joe made me get down on the floor in a relatively open area so nothing solid like a bulkhead would rupture and fall on me, crushing me or burying me beneath the rubble."  
  
He closed his eyes in relief. The whole time he had been trying to bring the ship in for a relatively soft landing, he had fought back a mental image of B'Elanna being slammed by debris or hit with the discharge of an exploding console, injuring herself or their unborn daughter. "I owe them," he said, and reached for the medkit.  
  
"I told you, I'm fine. We landed some place, right? We heard the thrusters and we've got gravity even though everything else is offline. Were we attacked?" Without waiting for him to answer, she looked over her shoulder. "Nicoletti? Any luck?"  
  
The response came from across the deck. "Negative, Lieutenant."  
  
"Try rerouting the secondary couplings. Take the baffle off if you have to."  
  
"Hold still," Tom said, as he flipped open the medical tricorder. "I want to check the baby."  
  
She said nothing but fidgeted as he worked. "She's okay," he said after a moment, and again felt a wave of relief.  
  
"Of course she is," B'Elanna said, but he heard the relief in her voice, too.  
  
"Any other injured?"  
  
She shook her head. "Nothing we can't cope with here. What the hell happened, Tom?"  
  
"I don't know. When everything failed all at once, Harry ordered me to set down on an M-class planet." He shook his head. "It was the strangest thing, B'Elanna. One minute we were out of control and the next it was like someone was telling me what to do. And it worked."  
  
"Harry gave the order?" She sounded incredulous. "Where was the captain?"  
  
The question irritated him. "She was probably asleep in her bed, same as all the other sane Alpha shift personnel except for you and me. It's Gamma shift, B'Elanna. Harry did all right."  
  
She paused, then said in a voice that was not quite teasing, "That was some landing, Flyboy."  
  
"We're alive, aren't we?" He looked around, peering through the darkness. He didn't need to be an engineer to know that things were very bad. "What's the ETA on getting communications and Life Support back up?"  
  
"About three minutes after we get emergency power. The emergency power cell ruptured when we hit the planet. If we can't get a workaround in the next ten minutes, we'll cannibalize the cells from the _Flyer_ and another shuttle. It's the only way to support all of _Voyager_."  
  
He winced at the thought of gutting his beloved _Delta Flyer_ , but made no protest. It was necessary. After slipping the scanner back into the kit, he ran his hand down her arm once. "If you don't need a medic here, I've got to get to Sickbay."  
  
"Go," she said, squeezing his hand quickly. "And take care of those buzzing ears of yours." Even though she started turning away, he maintained a firm grip on her hand. "What's the matter, Tom? I have to get back to..."  
  
"B'Elanna, my ears. I never noticed when I was climbing down here, but the ringing in my ears is...gone."  
  
As they aimed their wristlights at the dark, silent warp core, B'Elanna suggested, "If your ears are fine now, I wonder if Vorik's headache has disappeared, too? You'd better let the Doctor know about this."  
  
Tom answered, "I will, B'Elanna." From long practice, despite the darkness, he knew exactly how far to bend down to give his wife a kiss on her cheek. He released her hand and said, "I'd better get up there now."  
  
He'd barely turned around before he heard B'Elanna shout from behind, "Nozawa! Get a team together and head to the shuttle bay. I want you to cross-circuit the _Flyer'_ s main power cell with the auxiliary power network." She strode off and became just one more beam of light in the darkened deck.  
  
  
**(01:10 -- 01:30)**  
  
Halfway to the Bridge, Janeway and Chakotay encountered Noah Lessing in the Jefferies tube, who shined his wrist light down on them before he was able to identify them.  
  
"Captain, Commander," he said, clearly surprised to see them in the bowels of the ship and not on the Bridge.  
  
"Mister Lessing," Janeway returned. "Are you all right?"  
  
"Yes, Ma'am. What about you and Commander Chakotay?"  
  
"We're fine. Do you have any idea what happened?"  
  
"Not for certain, Captain," Lessing said. "I was in the Mess Hall when the ship suddenly went into a sharp descent. I barely had time to brace myself before we crashed. I did manage to glance out the Mess Hall windows long enough to see us spiraling down toward a planet. I guess that’s where we are now."  
  
"Was anyone in the Mess Hall injured?" Chakotay asked.  
  
"Just a few bumps and bruises, sir, but nothing serious. I'm on my way to Engineering to see if I can lend them a hand getting the emergency power on line."  
  
"Good idea. Tell Lieutenant Torres or whoever is in charge down there that life support and communications are the top priority."  
  
"Aye, Captain."  
  
Lessing forced open the nearby lift doors and half crawled onto the adjacent deck, giving the two senior officers just enough room to squeeze by, and then resumed his trek to Engineering. Once he was out of earshot, Janeway glanced at Chakotay and spoke in hushed tones.  
  
"There is one scenario we haven't covered in our search for an explanation about what happened," she said.  
  
"Which is?"  
  
"Sabotage."  
  
"Sabotage?" Chakotay echoed, his tone also deliberately low. "Is that what comes to mind simply because the first person we find is Lessing and he's unharmed?"  
  
She gave him an icy glare. "It's not an accusation against him personally, Chakotay," she said evenly. "But under the circumstances, sabotage is a legitimate concern."  
  
"Do you really think one of our own is capable of doing this?"  
  
"I don't like the idea any more than you do, but we both know that not everybody is one hundred percent in favor of our returning to the Alpha Quadrant," Janeway reminded him.  
  
He considered it for a moment before responding. "It _is_ a bit coincidental that every system on the ship crashed at the same time," he conceded. "None of B'Elanna's test programs in the holodeck indicated that a transwarp failure would cascade into the main power systems and take out everything else along with it."  
  
"I don't want to jump to any conclusions until we can definitively determine what happened, but I think we should make Tuvok aware of the possibility that this may not have been an accident."  
  
Chakotay nodded. "Agreed. Tuvok may have already thought of that."  
  
Janeway gave a curt nod of acknowledgment, and they resumed their climb.  
  
  
**(01:30 -- 02:00)**  
  
Traveling through the Jefferies tubes was slower on the way up, and not just because Tom's knees were protesting his earlier disregard for them. There was more traffic in the tubes now as runners from each deck traveled back and forth from the Bridge, bringing reports and orders. Each one mentioned some new problem – hull breaches, localized fires, non-functioning gel packs, offline systems, consoles and other sensitive equipment totally destroyed. Individually, each one would have been a challenge. Taken as a whole...Tom was beginning to wonder if _Voyager_ would ever recover.  
  
At Deck Seven he encountered Chapman and let him squeeze past, with instructions to give Harry the report about B'Elanna's plan for restoring emergency power and communications. Chapman nodded grimly and kept climbing. _Grim_ , Tom thought. _I don't think I really understood what that meant before this._  
  
Like the rest of the ship, Deck Five was dark when he slipped out of the tube into the corridor. Using the wrist light, he made his way to Sickbay and found the doors had been opened manually. The scene that greeted him surprised him.  
  
Sickbay was filled with a soft, diffuse glow that might have been considered romantic under other circumstances. He turned the wrist light off as he took in the dozen or so people sitting on biobeds or on the deck. The EMH, wearing his mobile emitter, was examining Renley Sharr's left shoulder with a tricorder from a field kit. "Ah, Mister Paris, I’m glad you’re here. I need every pair of hands," he said, looking up. "Any word on when we can expect power?"  
  
"Emergency power will be up soon. Don't know how long it will take to get main power restored." Without thinking twice, Tom opened the medkit he carried. "Who's next?"  
  
"Help me here, please. Ensign Sharr's shoulder is dislocated." As Tom complied, the Doctor continued, "So far, no one has anything worse than some contusions, lacerations and simple fractures. Let's just hope that no was more seriously injured. Until we've got power, we can't manage much more than basic first aid."  
  
Tom held Sharr in place as the Doctor snapped the joint back into place. She made a small sound but then sighed. "Thanks, Doc."  
  
"You're welcome. Don't leave until you've had an analgesic. Mister Paris, see to it, and then set up a tray of hyposprays. We're going to have a run on analgesics as well as anti-inflammatories.” He paused. “And take care of that cut on your own arm before you do anything else. It's not good form to bleed on the patients." He moved over to the next biobed. "Hold still, Mister Chell. It's only a simple fracture. Here's the osteoregenerator. I want you to hold it just like this and wave it like this..." he demonstrated, "for three minutes."  
  
Chell smiled bravely. "Does this make me a medic?"  
  
"Today it does," the Doctor said without his usual acerbity. He moved on to the next bed, still talking to Tom as he examined Marla Gilmore's left arm. "I sent Ensign Gallagher to set up a triage station on Deck Ten, but obviously, we will have to wait for her report.”  
  
As Tom readied the medication tray, he realized the source of the light. The Doctor had placed two dozen phosphorescent sponges in strategic locations around Sickbay. The sponges were part of an experiment he had been working on for two years. Using them for light was ingenious, but it was also the end of the experiment. Another loss.  
  
He returned to Sharr with a hypospray. "What happened, Lieutenant?" she asked. "Were we attacked?"  
  
After he administered the analgesic, he began to place her arm in a sling. "The pain should go away soon. Try not to use that arm too much for a while. And no, we weren't attacked. The transwarp drive failed for some reason. We had to make an emergency landing."  
  
"You call that a landing?" Across the room, the Doctor sniffed. "It felt like a crash to me."  
  
Before Tom could answer, Sharr grinned and said, "The ship is in one piece -- more or less -- and we're all walking and talking. By my definition, Doc, that's a landing."  
  
Tom smiled weakly. He hoped that "no casualties" part would turn out to be true.   
  
  
**(02:00 -- 02:10)**  
  
"Tuvok. You must wake up."  
  
The voice was soft but insistent, and impossible to ignore. Tuvok gathered his thoughts and pulled them into awareness. With awareness came pain. "What happened?" he rasped.  
  
" _Voyager_ has been damaged," the voice said. "You are injured."  
  
"Kes?" He recognized the voice now, and opened his eyes. But darkness was all that he saw. "Is that you?"  
  
"You must not begin the healing trance yet," she said. "You have to tell them -- the ship is in danger."  
  
"I was in the holodeck." Yes, he remembered now. The constant, high pitched whine from the transwarp drive had eroded his discipline to the point that he was unable to master a simple headache. He had programmed a recreation of the Temple at T'Panit, where he had always been able to find the concentration required for serious self-reflection, and had begun an intense meditation.  
  
He had climbed to the rock ledge above the main Temple, his favorite spot on the grounds. From that vantage point, he could still hear the chanting of the monks while looking down on the valley below. The hot breeze and the repetitive music facilitated contemplation, and he had been deep into his own thoughts. Then, he remembered, the program had simply vanished without warning and he was sitting on nothing but air, fifteen meters above the deck. As he plummeted down, it had seemed to him that the ship had gathered speed, amplifying the impact.  
  
"Yes," Kes’s voice said. "You were in the holodeck. You still are. Someone will find you soon. You must be awake when they do, Tuvok. You have to tell them the ship is in danger." Her voice began to fade, as if she were moving away. "Remember. The ship is in danger. Not everything is as it seems. The other worlds are angry."  
  
"What ... danger?" The pain was rising, becoming intolerable. Both legs were broken, and he undoubtedly had other abdominal injuries. Every instinct was compelling him to begin the trance.  
  
There was no response. Kes, if she had ever truly been there, was gone.  
  
Tuvok tried to peer through the darkness, but he could see nothing. There was no light at all, not even emergency light. The ship must have sustained heavy damage. It was even possible there was still a crisis, and no one would be free to search for him until it was past. But if there was a crisis, why would Kes feel the need to give them a warning? Surely the danger would be evident.  
  
The only logical explanation was that Kes was warning of another kind of danger, something the crew would overlook or misinterpret. It would have been more efficient if Kes had simply told him what it was, but perhaps the mere act of communicating with him required all her effort.  
  
"The mind rules," he whispered aloud. "There is no pain."  
  
  
**( 02:10 -- 02:45)**  
  
After encountering two more officers and waiting through Chakotay's leg cramp, Janeway and Chakotay finally reached the Bridge, and the captain threw open the hatch, enabling them to crawl out. Janeway exited first and spotting Harry in her chair, snapped, "Report, Mister Kim."  
  
Harry was on his feet immediately, and his expression turned to one of relief. "Am I glad to see you, Captain!" As Chakotay emerged behind her, he added, "Commander."  
  
"What happened, Harry?" she asked, barely able to conceal her impatience.  
  
"The transwarp failed and when it went down, it took almost every major system with it, including intraship communications." He swallowed. "When we couldn't reach you, I ordered Tom to land the ship. Tom did a heck of a job. We lost thrusters before we hit. It looks like what the transwarp didn't take with it got knocked offline when we came to ground."  
  
It was only then she realized that the hatch through the hull was open, allowing in light and a limited view of the planet beyond. “Did you open the manual hatch, or did we suffer a hull breach?”  
  
Harry swallowed. “We forced open the manual hatch, Captain. We needed light and we needed to clear the air. We confirmed the atmosphere was safe first.”  
  
She looked at him closely. After all these years, she knew him well enough to know that he desperately needed validation for his decisions, but he had learned enough to know he shouldn’t ask for it. On one memorable occasion, she’d told him, when in command of the ship, _command_ it. Without knowing anything about the planet beyond, the opening in the hull was a major vulnerability, both from an environmental and security perspective. At the same time, she acknowledged that he had made the best decisions he could with the data available to him. After a moment, she smiled and nodded once. "Good work, Lieutenant," was all she said, but Harry immediately relaxed.  
  
"Where's Lieutenant Paris?" she asked, and did not let herself be distracted by the worry she saw flash in his eyes.  
  
"I sent him to Engineering, then to Sickbay." He straightened a little. "I initiated the disaster protocol. He volunteered to be the runner."  
  
"Good. He’ll be needed there."  
  
"Who's reported in?" Chakotay asked.  
  
"Decks Two, Three, Six, and Eight." Harry handed him the PADD with the data from the runners who had already made it to the Bridge. "So far, casualties are light, but we've got a hull rupture on the starboard side that extends for multiple decks."  
  
Chakotay scanned the PADD and then looked up. "We'll be lucky if casualties remain light."  
  
She nodded.  
  
The hatch to the starboard Jefferies tube, already partially ajar, swung open the rest of the way and Neil Mulcahey crawled out. "Deck Four reporting," he said to Janeway, and handed her a PADD. "All crew assigned to the deck is accounted for. We have two casualties, but no fatalities. Transporters are offline."  
  
"Has anybody heard from Tuvok?" Janeway asked.  
  
"No one on our deck has seen or spoken with him since before the crash," Mulcahey said.  
  
Janeway turned to Kim. "Harry?" she prompted.  
  
He shook his head. “None of the runners have reported any contact with him either.”  
  
The captain sighed. "Well, until we get either internal sensors or communications back online, Tuvok's going to have to find his own way to report in."  
  
"Maybe it would be a good idea to take look outside and see what we can learn about the planet we've landed on," Chakotay said.  
  
"I don't want anyone leaving the ship until we've determined that any locals don't pose a threat," Janeway replied. "Until we know what caused our crash, I don't want to risk losing anyone else."  
  
"The atmosphere isn't harmful, Captain," Harry replied. "The tricorders show a typical M-class atmosphere."  
  
"I still don't want anyone outside yet. Commander, place a guard at the hatch opening. We need to secure the ship and assess the damages first; then we'll see where we stand."  
  
The first officer nodded in acknowledgment just as the Jefferies tube hatch opened again and Neelix crawled onto the Bridge.  
  
"Mister Neelix," Janeway said. "I'm glad to see you're all right."  
  
"Likewise, Captain," Neelix responded. "What happened?"  
  
"We haven't been able to figure that out yet," Chakotay admitted. "What's the status of the food supplies?"  
  
"The food supplies in the Mess Hall are an almost total loss from a coolant leak in the refrigeration units. I went to Cargo Bay One to check out the status of the stores there. In spite of the power outage, the food supplies in the refrigeration unit should remain fairly well preserved for another twelve hours or so, and the frozen food supplies will last slightly longer. But the Airponics Bay has been destroyed, and much of the food in Cargo Bay One we store at room temperature has also been contaminated, due to a plasma leak. So unless we can get the replicators back on line, our supply of fresh food stuffs will be completely consumed within 72 hours."  
  
Janeway and Chakotay exchanged a look. This was not what they had hoped to hear.  
  
“That means food is going to be an issue, along with all our other priorities,” Chakotay said. “Has anyone taken a look outside yet?” He jerked his head toward the open hatch to the hull.  
  
“Not yet,” Harry said. He and Chakotay both turned to Janeway.  
  
She sighed. "I guess we do need to look outside. Mr. Ayala, poke your head out of the hatch and get a tricorder scan. We’re looking for potable water as well as potential food sources and life signs. Stay on the ladder. I don't want you to leave the ship until we're reasonably sure it's safe.” As he climbed through the hatch, she turned back to Chakotay. “Restoring power needs to be priority one, but I’d like to have recommendations for everything else as soon as possible. If the other decks don’t report in within thirty minutes – “  
  
“Captain, Commander!” Ayala called from the hatchway. “I think you need to see this.”  
  
“What is it?” Janeway asked.  
  
“I – I’m not certain.”   
  
They exchanged a look. Uncertainty was not a common trait for Ayala. At a nod from the captain, Chakotay joined Ayala on the ladder. The lieutenant gestured towards something outside of the ship.   
  
After only a few seconds of silence, Kathryn called up to them, "What are you looking at, Commander?"  
  
"We appear to have landed in the middle of a vast plain or meadow, Captain. It's a flat field, covered with yellow vegetation. I can see mountains on the horizon." Kathryn felt a quick rush of relief that they had not crashed into the mountain range. "A few kilometers away, I can see a glade of trees, or maybe the edge of a forest. There's a single tree, small and leafless, standing much closer to the ship. The tree looks dead. I can't see evidence of any animal life in our vicinity."  
  
“That's not true, Commander,” Ayala said, pointing the tricorder at the sole barren tree.   
  
“That dead tree?” Chakotay asked.  
  
Ayala shook his head. “It’s not dead, and it’s not a tree. It’s reading animal, not plant."  
  
The tree raised a branch and waved at them. It began to move closer, and then they could see it was actually a humanoid life form, bipedal and with two arms and a single head, but with a dark skin that looked rough, like bark. He appeared to be alone and unarmed.  
  
“We’ve got company,” Chakotay said softly to Kathryn, as he peered down the hatch at her.  
  
“Yes.” Kathryn sighed. First contact with an alien species. One more priority to add to the list. “Under the circumstances, I don’t think we have the luxury of time. You and Mr. Ayala go down and find out if he – it – is a friend or foe, and how many more there may be. I’d rather not let him get closer until we know his intentions. And – be sure you are armed.”  
  
“Aye, Captain.”  
  



	3. Act 2

**ACT TWO**  
  
**(03:00 -- 05:00)**  
  
  
Jol felt his hearts skip a beat when the two aliens emerged from the top of their ship, not expecting any survivors after witnessing the ship's crash landing.  
  
_They must be exceptionally sturdy beings to have survived their crash,_ he mused.  
  
Hoping he appeared calmer than he felt, Jol forced himself to remain in place as the aliens approached him.  
  
"Hello," the taller of the two aliens said. "I am Commander Chakotay of the Federation starship _Voyager_. This is my crewmate, Lieutenant Ayala."  
  
The one called Ayala was holding a device that looked more like a scanner of some sort and not like a weapon, Jol noted. He decided it was a reasonable precaution and did not make an issue of it. After all, he had nothing to hide. "Greetings," he said. "I am called Jol, of the Vordai. I witnessed the descent of your vessel. How is it that you are unharmed?"  
  
"Just lucky I guess," Ayala quipped under his breath, yet his comment was overheard by Jol as he closed his scanning device and nodded at the one called Chakotay.  
  
_He is the more suspicious of the two_ , Jol observed _. I must be careful of him._  
  
"We were not aware this planet was inhabited," Chakotay said. "Are there other Vordai here?"  
  
"I am the only one. I was stranded here many cycles ago. This is the first time I have encountered any other living beings."  
  
"You seem to be surviving fairly well on your own," Chakotay remarked.  
  
"I was on a survey mission near this planet when my vessel lost power and I was forced to land. However, the craft was not designed for use on land and was irreparably damaged when I crashed. Thankfully, many of my supplies were undamaged in the crash. I discovered a small shelter that I have been using for lodgings."  
  
"How convenient," Ayala muttered, earning him an admonishing look from Chakotay.  
  
"Would you be willing to take us to your shelter?" Chakotay asked.  
  
"Of course," Jol agreed. "I would be pleased to show you my home and share any of my supplies that you may require. I do not have much, but I am certain that I would be able to help you and your crewmate find sources for your own sustenance."  
  
"Any help you can give us would be appreciated," Chakotay replied.  
  
Jol hesitated. Surely on a ship of this size there were many more crew members that just these two. Cautiously, he asked, "Are you the only two who...survived? Or are there many more on board your ship?"  
  
"We're not the only ones." The alien did not elaborate. Jol decided he did not need a precise answer now. The ship was large enough for a good-sized grove, but not an entire forest. Eventually he would learn the true number. "Excellent. Come, follow me."  
  
The small alien started off in the direction he had come with Ayala and Chakotay following a couple of feet behind him.  
  
"You realize we could be walking into a trap," Ayala whispered. "He's not armed, but for all we know this little guy has a contingent of his buddies stashed somewhere in orbit waiting to finish what they started when they blew us out of the sky."  
  
"Maybe," Chakotay allowed. "Or maybe he is exactly who he appears to be; a marooned traveler trying to help out a group of lost strangers."  
  
Ayala chuckled. "Seven years in that uniform has made you soft, old man," he chided.  
  
Chakotay smiled. "I can still kick your ass to Risa and back," he responded, "and I outrank you. So try and show a little respect for the old guy."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
The XO turned his attention to Jol and called out a question to him. "What kind of climate does this planet have, Jol?"  
  
Jol glanced over his shoulder. "During the time I have been here, it has been much as it is now," he answered. "While the sun is in the sky, there is pleasant warmth and moderate breezes. Yet when the twin moons replace the sun, it becomes extremely cold and the winds are stronger."  
  
"Have you had any rain?"  
  
Jol frowned. "Rain?"  
  
"Water falling from the sky."  
  
"Ah. No, there has been no rain, but the coldness of the night creates sufficient moisture to replenish what is lost during the day."  
  
"Sounds like a typical desert to me," Ayala remarked.  
  
"Or steppes," Chakotay said, looking at the grassy plain stretching around them.  
  
The trio fell into a companionable silence then, and a few minutes later arrived at Jol's shelter. It was a hut-like edifice, constructed of wood and metal and large enough to comfortably hold perhaps half a dozen Humans. The two Starfleet officers followed Jol inside and took a cursory survey of their surroundings. The shelter had obviously been occupied for some time. The various personal items scattered about the rooms seemed to verify Jol's story about his habitation in the shelter.  
  
"Well, so far his story seems to hold up," Ayala remarked under his breath. "Only time will tell if he's really everything he claims to be."  
  
"Jol, would you be willing to show us where to find food and water?" Chakotay asked. "Our own supplies are running low. We need to replenish them."  
  
"Certainly."  
  
Chakotay glanced at Ayala. "I'm going back to _Voyager_ to brief the captain," he said. "I'll send a small scouting party to go with you and Jol."  
  
"What happens if our friend has friends of his own who are responsible for our crash?" Ayala questioned quietly.  
  
"Then you won't need to worry about me kicking your butt for that crack about being soft," Chakotay responded dryly.  
  
  
  
**(05:15 -- 05:20)**  
  
The door to the holodeck opened, admitting the harsh glare of wrist lights that alternated back and forth in a search pattern. Tuvok blinked at the sudden brightness and stopped repeating his mantra. He had finally been found.  
  
"Over here." The wrist light struck his eyes, momentarily blinding him, but he recognized the voice of Lieutenant Rollins. "Better get a medic in here. I'm not sure we should move him."  
  
"Lieutenant," Tuvok whispered.  
  
Rollins knelt beside him. "Yes, Commander?"  
  
"Tell the Captain...there is a danger...we don't see yet...something is not as it appears..."  
  
"What?" Rollins sounded confused. "Do you mean there's a danger on the planet?"  
  
Tuvok did not understand the question, but it no longer mattered. He had delivered the warning. The healing trance could wait no longer. He closed his eyes and let instinct take over.  
  
  
  
**(07:30 -- 07:45)**  
  
Janeway was attempting to clean up some of the debris in her Ready Room when she heard a loud knock on the door. The sound was one more reminder that the ship was damaged; not even the chimes were working. With a sigh, she went to the manual controls and opened the doors.   
  
Chakotay walked in and glanced at the disarray around him. Flashing a small, sympathetic smile, he tried to quip, “I think you need to lodge a complaint with housekeeping.”   
  
She tried to respond with the same humor. “It’s on my ‘to do’ list. So, what’s the story on our visitor?”   
  
"His name's Jol, and he says he belongs to a race called the Vordai," Chakotay told her. "He claims to have crashed his ship here several 'cycles' ago. He hasn't defined how long a cycle is, but he says he's been stranded ever since."  
  
"How has he been surviving?"  
  
"He salvaged most of his supplies from his ship and has also managed to locate some sources of food and water on the planet. I sent Neelix and Gennaro to accompany Ayala and Jol on a scouting expedition to find out if we can use the same sources to replenish our own supplies."  
  
One auburn eyebrow quirked upward. "Are you sure that was wise?" she asked. "We still don't know who or what caused our crash."  
  
Chakotay shrugged. "So far, everything he's told us has been the truth," he said. "I think we should trust him unless -- or until -- he gives us reason not to."  
  
She managed a small smile. "Then I'll apply the same to you, Commander, and defer to your judgment regarding Mister Jol."  
  
His own smile widened in appreciation of her trust, and their eyes met and held. "Kathryn," he said slowly, "about what you said last night, about stopping somewhere until we know what Starfleet intends..."  
  
She held up a hand to cut him off, but she seemed sad rather than angry. "This isn't the time."  
  
"I agree. But I'm not going to forget about it. When the ship is secure, we need to talk."  
  
Janeway was prevented from responding by the sudden illumination of the room from the overhead lights, and a moment later, a burst of static filtered out of the captain's combadge, immediately followed by the somewhat garbled voice of _Voyager_ 's Chief Engineer. _"Torres to Janeway."_  
  
"Janeway here."  
  
_"I have good news and bad news, Captain,"_ B'Elanna told her. _"The good news is that emergency power has been restored, and we’ve got life support and intraship communications back online."_  
  
"And the bad news?"  
  
_"Whatever caused the transwarp drive to crash took almost all of Voyager's systems with it,"_ she revealed _. "Even with the minimal diagnostics I can run at the moment, it's obvious that getting the ship space worthy again is going to take several weeks, if not months. There isn't any system on board that hasn't been affected or altered by either the initial systems crash or our subsequent crash landing."_  
  
Janeway rubbed her hand across her forehead in mute frustration. "I don't suppose there's any chance you're exaggerating that time frame so you can impress me when you finish the repairs sooner than expected?"  
  
" _I wish I were, Captain. But Voyager is down for the count for at least six weeks, and that’s assuming we can find a source for replacement parts. Some equipment may be damaged beyond the hope of repair."  
_  
The captain released a weary sigh. "Very well, Lieutenant. Do what you can to get main power back on line and disseminate the repairs as you see fit. However, restoring power to the cargo bays should be among the priorities in order to salvage our food supplies. And if you can restore at least partial shields, that would be nice, too."  
  
_"Acknowledged, Captain. Torres out."  
_  
Severing the transmission, Janeway met Chakotay's gaze. "Please tell me this is just a bad dream," she requested softly.  
  
Chakotay flashed her a comforting smile. "We'll get through this, Kathryn," he declared. "I promise."  
  
"I'll hold you to that," she said, accepting the hand he'd extended to her and holding it lightly in hers.  
  
The moment was interrupted by the beep of Janeway's combadge. Reluctantly, she pulled her hand out of his. "Janeway here."  
  
_"Captain, Commander Tuvok was just brought into Sickbay, suffering from critical injuries,"_ the Doctor informed her.  
  
"How severe are his injuries?"  
  
_"I won't know for certain until I can run a more comprehensive diagnostic and begin surgery,"_ the Doctor answered. _"His chances of survival are quite good, but given that this is the second time he has been seriously injured in recent months, he can expect a prolonged recovery time."  
_  
"Understood. Was there anything else?"  
  
_"He was unconscious when he was brought in, already in a healing trance, but Lieutenant Rollins said when he found him, Tuvok insisted he had an urgent message for you, that you needed to know right away.."  
_  
"What kind of message?" Janeway pressed.  
  
_"Something about the ship being in danger, but not from what or from whom. His exact words were, ‘there is a danger ... we don't see yet...something is not as it appears.’  
_  
"Of course not," Janeway muttered. "Thank you for the report, Doctor. Keep me posted on Tuvok's condition."  
  
_"Aye, Captain."  
_  
Terminating her connection with Sickbay, Janeway returned her attention to her First Officer. "Assemble as much of the senior staff as is available in the briefing room in fifteen minutes. I think it's time we took an inventory of where we stand and what's happened since we crashed."  
  
"What do you suppose this threat is that Tuvok was talking about?"  
  
"I don't know, and at this point, I sure as hell don't want to find out."  
  
  
  
**(09:25 -- 09:50)**  
  
_For a little guy, Jol sure can move_ , Ayala thought. The alien was barely more than half his height, and so slight he looked like he would blow away in a stiff breeze; still, it took an effort to keep up with him as the scouting party moved toward the woods. "How much farther?"  
  
"Not far," Jol said. "The fruit trees are on the near edge of the forest. The yellow fruit is ripe now. I picked some only yesterday. And I found some berries in the shade as well."  
  
Neelix was puffing a few steps behind, but he heard what Jol said. "Fruit is good, but we'll need more than that. Lieutenant Kim said he saw some wild game as the ship descended."  
  
"Yes, there is, but I have been unable to catch any. Perhaps you will have better luck."  
  
"I hope so," Mario Gennaro, the fourth member of the party, grumbled. "The meat stores are contaminated or thawing. I'm not a fruit and veggie kind of guy."  
  
"You prefer wild bunnies and boar meat to apples and asparagus?" Ayala prompted dryly.  
  
“We do need a source of protein, Mr. Ayala,” Neelix put in.   
  
"Oh, yeah," agreed Gennaro. “Protein, and tastes great.”  
  
Smiling, Ayala turned back to Jol. "How'd you happen to crash here?"  
  
"My ship was badly damaged in an ion storm, and I was forced to land."  
  
"Where's your ship now?"  
  
"It is a week's walk from here," Jol said. "But it was badly damaged, and the terrain was mountainous and too cold for me. I gathered what I could and wandered a long time, looking for help. By the time I found the shelter, I was certain that no one lives on this planet except for the wild animals."  
  
Ayala considered the story. It was improbable, but not impossible and when you thought about it, wasn't _Voyager's_ story just as improbable? Still, something didn't sit quite right. "It's strange that someone would build that shelter and then just abandon it. You'd think they would either come back or take it with them."  
  
Jol did not reply, but kept walking.  
  
Behind him, Neelix said, "Perhaps they abandoned it because they feared some kind of contamination. That's why we left that shelter behind when the captain and commander were cured. Maybe there's some kind of germ or insect that's dangerous."  
  
"Keep scanning," Ayala said, raising his own tricorder higher. "Where's your homeworld, Jol?"  
  
"About nine light years from here, but my people do not often come in this direction. May I ask a question?"  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
"The shelter you abandoned -- where was that? Where did you come from? How long have you been traveling?"  
  
Ayala thought for a moment. "We began our current journey seven years ago, depending on how far we made it in transwarp, I'd guess we’ve traveled between fifty and sixty thousand light years from here."  
  
Jol's large, dark eyes blinked slowly, and then blinked again. "Fifty and sixty _thousand_?"  
  
"Give or take."  
  
"Holy Goddess," Jol breathed. "I thought you were exaggerating earlier when you described your journey."  
  
"Nope. We thought it would take seventy years to get home, but here we are."  
  
Jol suddenly came to a halt, causing Ayala to stop as well, and behind him, Neelix and Gennaro. As he looked at Ayala, his eyes seemed to glitter. Ayala wasn't sure if it was simply a reflection of light or some kind of biological phenomenon, but it made the alien seem emotional, almost on the brink of tears. On impulse, Ayala said, "Your home's not so far from here. I'm sure the captain will be happy to drop you off once we're on our way again."  
  
"Thank you," Jol said, and his eyes glittered again.  
  
"Why did you stop?" Gennaro asked irritably.  
  
"We have reached the fruit trees," Jol said, and pointed to a glade not thirty meters away.  
  
  
  
**(10:10 -- 10:15)**  
  
The trees grew densely, and so lushly, it was dim as dusk beneath the leafy canopy. _It is like the forests of home_ , Jol thought, as he did every time he walked this path.  
  
It had been more difficult than he anticipated to slip away from Lieutenant Ayala and the other Voyagers in the fruit grove and to melt into the shadows of these ancient hardwoods. The lieutenant had instructed the one called Gennaro to keep an eye on him, and Gennaro seemed to prefer that to gathering fruit. Even now, he could hear the crunch of twigs and brush as Gennaro approached.  
  
Moving swiftly, he found the particular tree he sought and reached into a knothole near its base. His hand closed around his communications handset and he quickly dropped it into his pocket. Now that he had been searched twice and his shelter examined, he thought it unlikely they would check him again very soon.  
  
The crackling noise grew louder, and Jol thanked the Goddess that these Voyagers were apparently unfamiliar with the ways of the forest and could not track with speed or stealth. He fell to his knees and pushed aside the molding leaves and moss, revealing the other reason he had selected this tree as his hiding place.  
  
"Jol!" he heard Gennaro call, sounding angry.  
  
"I'm here!" Jol responded.  
  
The red-faced Human stalked into view. "What are you up to? Why did you run off like that?"  
  
"I'm sorry. It's just that I remembered about this and thought you might like them. They are quite good." He gestured with open hands to the ground. "Mushrooms!"  
  
  
  
**(12:00 -- 12:30)**  
  
As he took a seat in the conference room, Harry realized that it was the first time he'd been able to sit down all day. The time in the Big Chair didn't count. That felt more like standing than sitting, and had left him exhausted and worn. He'd never been as relieved in his life as he was when Captain Janeway walked on to the Bridge.  
  
She now sat in her usual seat at the head of the conference table; but amazingly, she seemed as calm as if they were dealing with a minor inconvenience instead of a major emergency. He wondered if he would ever be able to project that much assurance.  
  
"Lieutenant Torres is attending this meeting over the comm system, as she busy with repairs in Engineering," Janeway said. "Unless there's a significant change since your last report, Doctor, I'd like to begin with her. B'Elanna?"  
  
_"The good news is that the warp engine is mostly undamaged,"_ B'Elanna said through static. _"We've got one cracked dilithium crystal, but that's all. The bad news is that we've got extensive structural damage. I just got a report of a stress fracture in the strut supporting the port nacelle. And I recommend that we initiate Level One power conservation measures."  
_  
Janeway frowned. Level One conservation was for extreme emergencies. "Why? You cannibalized the _Flyer_ and the _Sacajawea_ \-- is there a problem?"  
  
_"The power from the shuttles will only last a week at current utilization rates, and I'm not certain we'll have main power restored by then. If we don't, we'll have to cannibalize more shuttles."_ B'Elanna sounded unhappy. _"We need to shut down as many areas as we can."_  
  
Chakotay leaned closer to Janeway. "If Ayala doesn't find anything worrisome about the planet, we can set up shelters outside and shut down the crew decks."  
  
The captain nodded. "Securing the ship is our first priority, but if the report is favorable, set up a defense perimeter immediately. The shelters can form our internal line. Shutting down those decks should get us another week, at least."  
  
"What's the rest of it, B'Elanna?" Chakotay asked.  
  
_"Reports are still coming in, but it looks like most of the relay systems have been damaged, possibly from a power surge. We've found a number of damaged gel packs, too."_  
  
Harry watched the captain's face settle into a blank mask, the one she used to conceal her thoughts. _No wonder_ , he thought. The gel packs were vital to the ship's operations and the one commodity they couldn't simply replicate or replace.  
  
Janeway turned to the Doctor. "You've got some new patients, Doctor. In the past, you've done wonders with the gel packs -- now we need you to salvage as many as you can. We can't afford to lose any."  
  
He nodded. "Of course."  
  
"Anything else, B'Elanna?"  
  
_"Not at the moment,"_ she replied.  
  
"All right, Doctor, what's the status of our injured crew members?"  
  
"Remarkably good, all things considered. We've treated thirty-two injured crew, six of whom are in still in Sickbay. Everyone else is ambulatory. Only Crewman Thompson and Lt. Commander Tuvok are in serious condition. They suffered multiple broken bones and internal injuries, but they should recover."  
  
"Is Tuvok conscious yet?" she asked.  
  
"No, he's still in a healing trance and probably will be for at least another full day. The other good news is that the sonic whine stopped when the transwarp failed. In some cases, the effects are already wearing off."  
  
Everyone looked surprised. "What sonic whine?" Janeway asked.  
  
The Doctor looked chagrined. "I'm sorry, Captain, I made this discovery in the early morning hours and decided it could wait until the beginning of Alpha shift. Apparently the transwarp drive emitted a whine that was beyond the range of normal Human hearing. It was the probable cause of the crew's irritability and paranoia during the past few weeks, but especially, over the past three days."  
  
"Fine," the captain said under her breath. "Harry, what's the word from Operations?"  
  
"Not good," Harry said, trying not to sound too pessimistic. "We don't have enough power to test everything yet, but the comm system is only at 20% capacity; and weapons and shields are down completely. The problems may be related to the limited power supply, but it's too soon to be certain."  
  
The captain did not respond immediately. After a moment, though, she nodded. "Well. It's not the news I was hoping for, but it could be worse. I haven't heard that anything is irreparable. I want you all to focus on getting this ship space worthy again."  
  
The Doctor cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Captain, but under the circumstances, perhaps it would be a good idea to implement the colonization protocol I developed."  
  
Janeway's expression hardened subtly. "I think that is premature, Doctor," she replied coolly. "We are not starting a colony."  
  
"But clearly we are going to be on this planet for some time," he persisted.  
  
"I will let you know, Doctor, if and when I decide to initiate the protocol." Her voice was low but sharp as a laser, and just as cutting.  
  
"Understood," The EMH said, sounding chastened.  
  
"We don't have enough information about this planet yet to make the decision about colonizing," Chakotay said. "Jol said it was uninhabited. So far it appears that way, but that doesn't mean it's safe."  
  
"Indeed." Janeway rose and began to pace. " When did Ayala last check in?”   
  
“One hour ago,” Chakotay answered. “Which means we should be hearing from him again soon.”  
  
“Once we're satisfied that this position is secure, we can begin aerial reconnaissance of the planet. Prepare a schedule for shuttle flights, Chakotay, as many as we can accomplish, considering our currently diminished shuttle availability. Start with the immediate area and work outwards and upwards."  
  
Before the XO could acknowledge her, the com system chirped on. _"Ayala to Chakotay."_  
  
Surprised, Chakotay touched his combadge. "Go ahead."  
  
_"We're on our way back, sir. Jol was right. We didn't see any sign of indigenous intelligent life. There's an ample supply of fruit and berries and a river with potable water and fish -- a lot of fish -- about three kilometers from here. There's also some wild game, mostly herbivores that look a lot like Terran antelope.. We’re only bringing back a few items with us now, however. Mostly fruit and berries."  
_  
"We can organize full hunting parties later,” the captain said. “Good work. How is our new friend?"  
  
_"Fine. He seems to be open and cooperative. He even found some wild mushrooms, which made Gennaro ecstatic, by the way. He says they're great with wild game. I've assigned him to keep an eye on the little guy."  
_  
The captain smiled at the commander. His fondness for mushroom soup was well known. "Good. Let Neelix take responsibility for setting up the foraging parties. Report to the Bridge when you return. Janeway out."  
  
Janeway looked around. "I guess that's our good news for the day. We won't starve before the replicators are on line again. All right, everyone. Let's get going. We've got a lot of work to do."  
  
Harry left the conference room wondering if any of them really knew how much work was in front of them.  
  
  
  
  
**(14:45- 14:55)**  
  
On the _Top Bough,_ Colonel Rahl stood beside a small communications monitor and automatically came to attention at the sight of his commanding officer. _"Rahl,"_ the General said curtly, _"What's going on?"_  
  
"The situation is unchanged, sir. The ship is still on the planet and seems to be heavily damaged. Our scanners indicate that it currently has no defensive capabilities, but our scout has yet to confirm that assessment."  
  
The General frowned, pulling his face into deep vertical grooves. _"But who are these people? Are they working for the Grevel-Ash?"_  
  
"According to my scout's last report, they claim to be from another part of the galaxy. This landing was nothing more than their bad luck."  
  
With a snort, the General shook his head. _"I'd call it our bad luck. We've already been accused of claim jumping. The Inner Circle has been summoned, and the ambassadors are shouting at each other. The sap is running hard, Colonel. I don't think we have much time. If we can't establish their identity, we must take them. By force, if need be."_  
  
"I understand." Rahl nodded once. "We'll be ready."  
  
  



	4. Act 3

  
**ACT THREE**  
  
**(15:00 -- 15:40)**  
  
"Look at that sunset," Neelix said. "Magnificent."  
  
Sarexa glanced up. The sky was awash with crimson, three shades of pink, gold, and pale lavender. "It's very nice."  
  
He turned to her, surprised. "Is that all you can say about it? When was the last time you saw a sunset that colorful?"  
  
"It's very nice, Neelix, but we don't have time to stand around and admire the clouds." She gestured at the temporary cook stoves and worktables that surrounded them and curbed her irritation. Given her preference, she'd be in Engineering, helping B'Elanna. But with replicators down and perishable food to prepare, Sarexa and Naomi Wildman had been pressed into kitchen duty. "We're got to get dinner ready and we have to use as many of our supplies as possible before they go bad. Naomi, would you please slice the _chinga_ fruit? I'll make cobbler, and we'll cook and preserve the rest."  
  
She cast a wary glance at the little alien, Jol, who sat perched on a stool nearby, his head tilted slightly as he looked at all the food. After Jol's innocuous, even helpful behavior on the scouting expedition, Neelix said he found it hard to believe that Jol posed any threat. Sarexa wasn't as trusting. Mario Gennaro sat beside him, and she was grateful for his presence.  
  
After a final moment of appreciation for the sky, Neelix returned to the cook stove and checked a pot that was simmering over a low flame. Sarexa watched Neelix surreptitiously and noted that he was looking at the shelters and tents which had been erected in several small circles in _Voyager's_ shadow. Each circle had its own campfire.  
  
Neelix was humming. She thought he was probably imagining they were all on a camping vacation instead of coping with an emergency. His ability to find something positive in almost any situation was the trait she admired most in him, but sometimes it exasperated her. They _weren't_ on vacation; they _were_ dealing with an emergency; and they had one hundred and fifty people to feed almost immediately. "Neelix? How's the broth?"  
  
"It's ready for the vegetables," he said. "You know, I should find the _bartob_ meat. It would add some texture to the stew."  
  
"Go ahead," she said. "It probably won’t last much longer anyway." She brought a platter of chopped vegetables to the skillet, scraped them in, and began stirring.  
  
He patted her arm as he passed her, and Sarexa smiled at the gesture. Even when she was being less than tactful, he understood she meant no harm. Then she turned her attention to the vegetables. The trick to a rushed stew like this was to keep them boiling for just the right amount of time, not a moment longer.  
  
Then she looked back at Naomi. The young girl was quartering the fruit, not slicing it. "Thinner please, Naomi. And be sure you get the seeds out."  
  
"Sorry," Naomi said, and began again. "It's just that, well, no offense Sarexa, but I'd rather be helping Mom. She's trying to get life support functional again."  
  
"No offense taken. I'd rather be in Engineering myself. Isn't that where Icheb is working?" She noted the girl's sudden blush and decided not to pursue the topic. She was still unsure of Human relationships. "I'm surprised that life support is a priority. We don't need it while we're on the planet."  
  
"It's not just life support; it's also Environmental Control. The air filtration system needs continuous flow to prevent dust deposits," Naomi explained. "And dust deposits in the ventilation system can gum up the gel pack relays. And without the relays, we won't be going anywhere." She looked at her pile of slices and grimaced. "This is going to take forever."  
  
"Not forever. Just a while."  
  
"Were you scared, Sarexa? When everything went dark and we were about to crash on the planet?"  
  
She considered Naomi's question as she stirred the oversized pot of stew. "Yes, I was. I haven't been that afraid since the Borg attacked and assimilated my family."  
  
Naomi's eyes widened. "Really? Not even during the battles with the Borg last month?"  
  
"I wasn't afraid then because I thought I knew the outcome. I thought we would lose, and I was resigned to becoming a drone again." She looked up and smiled. "You all have taught me to hope once more." Then she set down her spoon, satisfied. "There. That just needs to simmer for a while now. How are you coming with that fruit?"  
  
"Almost done." Naomi looked at the mountain of slices she had created. "Cooking for this many people at once, over open flames only is _hard_."  
  
Sarexa picked up a discarded rind and sniffed it. "Good. Still zesty." Picking up an implement, she began to shred the large rind. "It certainly is. And think how long Neelix has been doing it."  
  
"Doing what?" Neelix asked, as he returned carrying a large container. "Here's the last of the _bartob_ meat. It'll turn by tomorrow."  
  
"Brown it and add it to the stew," Sarexa said. "You've been cooking for _Voyager_ for seven years."  
  
"That's right." Neelix sniffed the contents of the skillet. "It could use a little _ferli_ spice, don't you think?"  
  
"I do not," Sarexa said firmly. "Not with _bartob_ meat."  
  
Neelix looked unhappy, but he said nothing as he reached into the container and withdrew a large slab of meat. "We picked this up before the last fight with the Borg," he told Naomi, who, to her credit, looked interested. "It's tasty, but without refrigeration it goes bad quickly." He picked up a large knife and sliced off a hunk to chop.  
  
"Neelix," Naomi said slowly as she wiped her hands, "Are you ever sorry you came on _Voyager_?"  
  
"Sorry? Not at all. Not for a moment." He smiled at his goddaughter. "If I hadn’t joined the crew, I wouldn't have known you, sweeting."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Really, I mean. We haven't exactly had an easy time. And you wouldn't be stuck here now if you'd stayed near Talax."  
  
He became more serious as he worked. "It's the truth, Naomi. Coming on _Voyager_ was the best decision I ever made in my life. I ... I wasn't always the best person, you see. I did some things I'm not proud of. But Commander Chakotay and Lieutenant Paris showed me that everyone can change, and Captain Janeway and Mr. Tuvok convinced me that even people like me can earn respect. That's an important lesson."  
  
The girl looked at him gravely. "I guess so."  
  
"It's one you may never need," he told her. "I doubt you'll ever get into as much trouble as I did. Why, once you're home, you'll probably be the youngest cadet in the history of Starfleet Academy."  
  
Sarexa, who was now kneading a large mound of dough, said, "You know, I can't help but wonder if the captain won't decide to stay right here."  
  
"Oh, no," Neelix said quickly. "The captain would never consider starting a colony. She won't settle for anything less than getting back to Earth, not when we've come sixty thousand light years or so."  
  
"Face facts, Neelix. We might not be able to repair _Voyager._ We may not have any choice." She gestured with a flour-covered hand. "We could do a lot worse than settle here."  
  
"You haven't been with us long enough to understand," Neelix said. "Captain Janeway promised her crew she would get them home again. I think it would kill her if she couldn't keep that promise."  
  
Sarexa frowned and spoke in a strained voice. "You're being dramatic. The captain is a very practical woman. If the ship is too damaged to return to space, she'll accept the necessity of the situation."  
  
Neelix set the knife down and put his arms around her. "I haven't been morale officer all these years without learning to recognize worry when I hear it."  
  
She resisted his comfort and pulled back, looking at him directly. "What's so bad about settling down, all of us together? The Borg aren't a threat any more. This planet seems perfect. Why couldn't we make a home here?"  
  
"Because it's not home," he said.  
  
"Neither is Earth. Not for us." Tears filled her eyes. "It's one thing to be two among a hundred and fifty; it's another to be two among billions. I just want to fit in."  
  
"Don't worry, sweeting." He hugged her. "You're shaken up, that's all, and after the day we've had, I don't blame you. Let's wait until tomorrow before we worry about fitting in on Earth. By then, B'Elanna should know how badly the ship is damaged."  
  
She sniffed, stepped back, and wiped her hands on her apron. "Well," she said briskly, "the crust is almost ready. Let's work on that filling. Naomi, get that fruit in bowl. We have people to feed."  
  
Naomi did as she was told. Sarexa noticed that Jol, the little alien, was staring at the girl closely. _He was listening to every word we said,_ she thought, annoyed. _How rude._  
  
  
  
**(16:15 -- 16:35)**  
  
Even though the turbolifts were working again, their use was restricted to conserve power. Tom had to use the Jefferies tubes to get to Main Engineering. He slid the last few meters down the ladder and landed with a slight thud. The noise was lost in the cacophony around him, and he looked around. If it had been eerie in the dark when he was there last, it was almost surreal now. The subdued light of the emergency system turned everything silvery-blue and cast elongated shadows on the deck and bulkheads. _This would be a great haunted house,_ he thought, _but as engine rooms go, it's less than ideal.  
_  
"Where's B'Elanna?" he asked the first crewman he bumped into. It was either Molina, Mendez or Tabor; they had similar coloring and features, and in the weird lighting, it was hard to tell.  
  
"Main computer alcove," came the response. The voice didn't identify the speaker, who was already hurrying away.  
  
Tom made his way through the crowded and noisy room. It appeared that everyone from Engineering was on duty, regardless of scheduled shift, and everyone was very busy. By the time he reached the alcove, he was frowning deeply. The frown deepened when he saw that B'Elanna was sitting on the floor in front of an open panel, with her arm stuck elbow deep inside the circuitry.  
  
_"taHqeq_ ," B'Elanna muttered.  
  
"Nice to see you, too."  
  
B'Elanna looked up. The strange light made her face look pasty and swollen. "Sorry, Tom. That was for the computer, not you."  
  
"I'll take your word for it. How's it coming?"  
  
"It's not. These circuits are beyond salvage." She bit her lip, and said in a low voice, "This is bad, Tom. It's really bad."  
  
He squatted down, resting on his heels so they were at the same eye level. "I know. I've been all over the ship. We took a beating. Still, we covered a lot of space. We're much closer to home than we were yesterday."  
  
"Fat lot of good that will do us if we can't go any farther," she hissed. "It's going to take a miracle to get this ship up again, and you know what? I'm fresh out of miracles. I can't do it, Tom, not this time. I can't do it."  
  
She was near exhaustion, he realized, and needed to rest. "Well, one thing's for sure, you aren't going to fix it all tonight. Why don't you come with me and get something to eat? Neelix and Sarexa have set up quite a feast. And I've already set up a shelter for us. You can catch a nap before coming back here."  
  
She shook her head. "Thanks, but I'll grab a bite later. I need to finish."  
  
"B'Elanna." Even though he spoke quietly, he used a tone of authority that was rare for him. "I know how you feel, but you won't be doing anyone any good if you make yourself sick. You need to eat and rest a little bit."  
  
After a moment, she sighed. "You must be right, because I can't work up enough energy to be angry with you. All right, help me up."  
  
"You'll feel better after some fresh air, dinner, and a nap," Tom promised. "You'll see."  
  
  
  
**(16:35 -- 17:10)**  
  
A few minutes later, Tom and B'Elanna sat near the edge of a large campfire, each balancing a tray of food on their laps. Tom had managed to find a camp chair for B'Elanna, but he sat on the ground beside her. As at the other sites, the fire pit was ringed by five tents and one prefab Starfleet shelter constructed from lightweight duranium. Tom pointed to the shelter with his fork. "By the way, I pulled the mattress off our bed and dragged it out here, so you should be able to sleep."  
  
"Really?" She pulled the blanket closer around her shoulders and brightened a little. Their mattress had become grooved in just the right places to support her. She had been dreading the thought of trying to sleep on a new surface.  
  
"Really." Tom looked smug. "And I brought your pillow, and extra blankets. We need our Chief Engineer to get her rest."  
  
Before she could say anything, they heard Harry calling out, "Hey, B'Elanna!"  
  
At the sound of Harry's voice, B'Elanna and Tom turned around. Harry jogged toward them from the direction of the temporary kitchen. Tom leaned close and whispered, "Two to one he wants to ask about Marla, but he doesn't want to be obvious about it."  
  
She nodded in response. Poor Harry thought he was being discreet, but his growing affection for Ensign Gilmore was patently obvious. It was nearly impossible to avoid teasing him about it. "Hey yourself," she said as he approached.  
  
"If you're taking a break, things must be coming along," he said. "I didn't think Tom could pry you off of deck eleven until full power was restored."  
  
At the reminder of the damage to the ship, any desire to joke around with him evaporated. "Doctor's orders," she said shortly. "And if you want to know about Marla, she’s still working. She'll get a break in about half an hour."  
  
"Is she okay?" he asked, not bothering to hide his concern. "I saw her name on the injured list."  
  
"It was a simple arm fracture," B'Elanna said. "She's fine."  
  
"Get some dinner and join us," Tom invited. "The stew's pretty good."  
  
Harry sat down beside Tom. "I'm not hungry."  
  
Tom studied his friend in the firelight. "What's wrong, Harry?"  
  
"What's wrong? Look around, Tom. We're grounded, and it's my fault."  
  
Tom groaned. "Not you, too."  
  
"I don't know why you think it's your fault, Harry," B'Elanna said. "It was my transwarp design that got us in this mess."  
  
"Yeah, but if I hadn't given the order to land, we wouldn't have the structural damage we've got."  
  
"You wouldn't have had to give that order if my design had worked."  
  
"Oh, for Pete's sake," Tom said impatiently. "Did I lose my invitation to the pity party?"  
  
"Don't be flip," B'Elanna snapped. "This is serious. We're in terrible shape."  
  
Tom shrugged. "Okay, it's serious. We're in terrible shape. But we've been in serious situations and terrible shape before. Look at the damage we had after the Hirogen spent three weeks on board. Or after the Borg assaults."  
  
"It's not the same thing," Harry said glumly. "You aren't the one who decided to land the ship."  
  
"And what would have happened if you hadn't given that order?" Tom stared at him intently. "The systems still would have failed, we'd be dead in space, and possibly without the ability to launch any escape pods. In the best case scenario, we'd still be on this planet -- only without _Voyager_ or any real hope of getting home."  
  
Harry frowned. "I hadn't thought of it like that."  
  
"You should be grateful you had a skilled and courageous pilot at the helm," Tom added with a grin.  
  
"Yeah, right."  
  
Tom looked at his best friend, who was staring blankly into the fire, and at his wife, who was pushing her food around on the plate with a fork. "Look, you two. You need to stop acting like the Gloom and Doom twins. If nothing else, you have to do it for the captain."  
  
B'Elanna blinked out of her reverie. "What?"  
  
"Think about how she must be feeling now," he said. "It's been a hell of a year for her -- she's been assimilated by the Borg, kidnapped by the Cardassians, held hostage by the Zornon, trapped between factions of the Plor, and then forced to fight the Borg again. Anyone would be more than a little stressed out by all that. Now, just when it looks like we're going to make it all the way home, _Voyager_ 's down. How do you think _she's_ feeling?"  
  
"Pretty rotten," Harry said slowly.  
  
"And do you think she's going to feel better if you two go around publicly flogging yourselves?"  
  
B'Elanna's mouth twitched in a threatened smile. "Since when did you become a ship's counselor?"  
  
Tom shrugged. "I've got to do something to keep busy, since we won't need a helmsman for a while. So, are you two going to snap out of it?" A movement in the shadows just beyond the fire caught his eye. "Is someone there?"  
  
The strange little alien stepped forward. His large eyes seemed to glow orange from reflected firelight. "It's just me, Jol. Sarexa sent me to see if Lieutenant Torres will want any more casserole. It's going fast, but she'll set a piece aside if you want. She said it's your favorite."  
  
For the first time all evening, B'Elanna smiled with genuine happiness. "That's wonderful. I'd love another piece. Tell her I'll be there shortly."  
  
Jol raised a hand to waist level, then turned and left. Tom watched him disappear into the dusk and frowned. "Is it just me, or is he a little bit creepy?"  
  
"It's just you," Harry assured him. "He seems harmless to me."  
  
"I think he was eavesdropping."  
  
B'Elanna yawned. "Sorry. Guess I'm more tired than I realized. Tom, would you please get me that piece of casserole? I'd like to sit here a while longer."  
  
Harry scrambled to his feet. "You stay put. I'll go."  
  
"Thanks, Harry." Tom waited until he was certain his friend was out of earshot. "You know he's gone to look for Marla again."  
  
"Does that bother you?" B'Elanna asked.  
  
"No, but it might bother you." He grinned. "If he finds her, he's likely to forget that you're waiting for that casserole."  
  
  
  
**(17:20 -- 17:55)**  
  
Through the window of her Ready Room, Janeway could see the faint glows of the campfires in the distance outside the crew’s shelters. A sympathetic chill went through her as she realized how cold it must be outside. She made a mental note to ensure all available thermal blankets were distributed and used.  
  
_We won't have to worry about Voyager's condition if the crew freezes to death waiting for the repairs to be completed_ , she mused.  
  
Stifling a weary sigh, the captain retrieved her own blanket from the edge of the couch and settled it about her as she lay down to try and sleep. No sooner had she gotten comfortable than the door chime rang. At her invitation to enter, Chakotay walked in.  
  
"Captain," he greeted formally. "Did I wake you?"  
  
Janeway shook her head. "I was just settling in. What can I do for you?"  
  
"I'm about to start the Gamma shift on the Bridge and wanted to stop in to say good night," Chakotay said. "Are you planning on sleeping in your Ready Room tonight?"  
  
"That was my intent, yes. My quarters are still without power."  
  
"There's plenty of room in the emergency shelters," Chakotay told her. "Maybe you'd be more comfortable sleeping on one of the air mattresses."  
  
"I'll be fine in here, Chakotay. My place is on the ship, even if she's not quite up to par at the moment."  
  
"All the better to hide yourself," Chakotay muttered.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Admit it, Kathryn; you're isolating yourself from the rest of the crew because you feel guilty about what happened. It's a pattern with you."  
  
Anger flashed in her eyes as she got to her feet. Ignoring his accusation, she addressed the first part of his remark instead. "It's my responsibility to keep this crew safe, Chakotay, and once again, I've failed in that duty. So yes, I feel guilty. Under the circumstances, I think I'm entitled to. B'Elanna and Joe _told_ me there might be a problem with the system. If I'd ordered them to shut it down last night, we wouldn't have had this total systems failure! We wouldn't have crashed!"  
  
"Yes, and you told me about that last night, too, but I never said you should shut it down, did I? Maybe it's my fault. I didn't do my duty as First Officer and give you the appropriate advice. None of the instruments picked up how serious those 'blips' could be before everything broke down. B'Elanna and Joe didn't advise you to shut down transwarp. You made the decision based upon the best available data, with agreement from your top engineers."

"It was a new technology. I should have been more cautious."   
  
"You know what they say about hindsight. In retrospect, it's always easy to see what you should have done. What happened wasn't your fault, Kathryn. Even if you had been on the Bridge yourself when the transwarp crashed, you wouldn't have been able to do anything to prevent this."  
  
"So you say."  
  
The XO ignored the jibe. "Instead of wallowing in self-recrimination, take some of that energy and focus on the positive side of our situation. We have no fatalities. We landed on a planet that is temperate and uninhabited, and even if _Voyager_ isn't able to fly again, the deep space ships that Starfleet has had searching for us will find us in less than ten years. That's what you should be focusing on. Not wasting energy feeling sorry for yourself, or the crew. Sometimes..."  
  
Chakotay stopped before completing his thought, but intuition told Janeway what he had intended to say. She finished for him. "Sometimes I don't know when to quit," she admitted.  
  
"Sometimes you don't how much this crew needs you," he corrected. "You take chances with your life that under normal circumstances you wouldn't consider, and when something does go wrong, you accept all the blame and pull away from anyone who tries to help you. That's not fair to us -- or to you."  
  
"Thank you for your concern, Commander, but I don't recall asking for your counsel," Janeway snapped, irritated that he knew her so well.  
  
Hurt flickered across his handsome face. "That was uncalled for," Chakotay replied quietly.  
  
"I'm sorry," Janeway conceded. "But the facts remain the same. I'm the captain of a ship that has been disabled in an unknown region of space. If history is any guide, and we do run into any more aliens out here, they're not going to be happy to see us. As long as _Voyager_ isn't space-worthy, with no shields or weapons, we're sitting ducks."  
  
"Being grounded certainly makes us more vulnerable, but maybe this time, luck is going to be on our side."  
  
"I'd rather not leave it up to luck," Janeway countered. "The shuttles we've already sent into orbit to look around still have sensor capability. They can alert us to any incoming ships."  
  
"What about exploring the planet itself?" Chakotay asked.  
  
"We still have a pair of the larger shuttles. We can use one of them for ground searches. The other can be cannibalized for supplies if the _Flyer_ starts to run down before we get main power back."  
  
After taking several seconds to weigh her proposal, he nodded and said, "Sounds like a good plan. I'll track down B'Elanna and Tom and have them get started on it."  
  
Bidding her farewell, Chakotay turned to exit the Ready room but stopped when Janeway called out to him.  
  
"Chakotay..."  
  
He turned expectantly.  
  
"I'm sorry I was sharp with you before. What you said…I needed to hear it. Thank you."  
  
He flashed her a warm smile. "You're welcome."  
  
  
  
**(18:00 -- 18:15)**  
  
Harry walked slowly toward the temporary kitchen, pausing by each campfire to say hello to his shipmates -- and to see who was there. There were quite a number; Tom had selected the site furthest away from the hub of the emergency camps. He told himself that he was simply being friendly and supportive, but he was also honest enough to admit that he was disappointed each time he stopped at a fire and realized Marla wasn't there.  
  
Then he spotted her, walking in his direction, although she hadn't seen him yet. She was alone and seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. "Marla!" he called.  
  
She stopped abruptly and blinked, as if returning to reality. Then her face broke into a smile that he could see even in the dim light. To his complete surprise, she ran to him and hugged him tightly.  
  
It would have been rude not to reciprocate. Besides, she felt good against him, solid and real after hours of imagining all sorts of calamities that could have befallen her. Whatever had been bothering her during the past few weeks seemed to have been forgotten.  
  
He would have been willing to stand like that indefinitely, but she stepped back and said softly, "I've been worried about you." Gently, she brushed a fingertip across a bruise on his cheek.  
  
"I'm fine. What about you? I heard you were hurt."  
  
She lifted her left hand and flexed it. "Nothing serious."  
  
"We were really lucky," he said. "There were only a few serious injuries."  
  
To his horror, her eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and her mouth trembled with the effort to not cry. He asked, "Marla? What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing," she said. Then she gulped and covered her face with both hands. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed quietly.  
  
Harry felt helpless as well as confused. Starfleet provided no training to cope with weeping women. "Marla?" he asked again. "What is it?"  
  
After a moment, she drew a deep breath and lowered her hands. "I'm sorry," she sniffed as she tried to wipe the tears away. "I guess I'm just tired."  
  
"No," he said slowly. He'd come to know her fairly well in recent months. Suddenly he was worried for her. "It's more than that. Please, tell me."  
  
She bit her lower lip. "I'm scared, Harry."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Everyone knows I wasn't in a hurry to get home. None of us were."  
  
He understood that she meant her four crewmates from the Equinox. "I don't understand."  
  
"People are wondering if the transwarp failure was the result of sabotage."  
  
"I hadn't heard that." _But,_ he thought, _it's a reasonable question. A lot of people made it clear they weren't eager to get home._  
  
"Well, that's what some of them are saying. And sooner or later, someone will wonder if one of us did it. To avoid going to prison, I mean." She grabbed his hand and looked at him intently. "I didn't do it, Harry, I swear I didn't."  
  
"I believe you."  
  
"But will the rest of the crew? It took so long for everyone to trust us as it is." Tears welled up again in her eyes. "I don't think I can bear it if it goes back to the way it was."  
  
She sounded so forlorn, he couldn't think of anything to do except pull her close and hold her again. "Don't worry. It'll be all right. B'Elanna will figure out what went wrong. No one will blame you."  
  
"I hope not. I really hope not," she said into his shoulder. "Even if I’m not eager to get there, I would never do anything to delay or prevent us from returning to the Alpha Quadrant."  
  
"We'll get there." He remembered what Tom had said and felt his confidence grow. Only minutes ago, he had been convinced that their current situation was his fault; now he knew it was simply fate. He tucked a hand under her chin and tilted her head until her red-rimmed eyes met his. "Look how far we've come. We just can't give up."  
  
Her cornflower blue eyes remained fixed on him, and he felt the mood between them change from one of friendly comfort to something else ... something more. She felt it, too; she caught her breath; and her mouth parted slightly. They began to lean in towards each other.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
At the sound of Mario Gennaro's voice, they jumped apart. The security officer didn't seem to notice that he had interrupted anything. "Either of you seen Jol?"  
  
"Who?" Marla asked.  
  
"The alien," Harry explained. "He was at Tom and B'Elanna's campsite a little bit ago. He said he was going back to the kitchen."  
  
"He didn't." Gennaro's mouth set in a straight line. "Damn."  
  
"You _lost_ the alien?" Harry asked pointedly.  
  
Gennaro flushed in anger or embarrassment or both. "Not for long, Lieutenant," he muttered as he stalked away. "Not for long."  
  
  
  
**(19:20 -- 20:15)**  
  
Chakotay was making notations in his log when the Ready Room doors swooshed open and Kathryn strode onto the Bridge.  
  
"You're supposed to be sleeping," Chakotay chided.  
  
"As odd as it sounds, I'm too tired to sleep," Janeway returned. "I think I'll head outside and check on the people camped around the ship. And, as a wise man recently pointed out, I need to mingle with my crew, not hide from them."  
  
He smiled in acknowledgment of her acceptance of his advice. "The first reconnaissance shuttles will be back in about half an hour," he told her. "Do you want me to call you when they return, or will you be back by then?"  
  
"I should be back by then. Keep an eye on _Voyager_ , Commander."  
  
"Aye, Captain."  
  
Flashing her first officer a farewell smile, Janeway made her way to the escape hatch and climbed onto the ship's hull, then eased herself down the ship's side to the ground. She stood in place for a moment, inhaling the crisp night air and feeling the icy fingers of the evening breeze blowing across her face. The glow of the campfires was more prominent outside of the ship. She could hear the muffled voices of her crew as they engaged in simple conversation.  
  
Releasing a deep breath, she felt some of the tension flow out of her as she started toward the closest shelter. Halfway there, she heard an unexpected sound: the unmistakable melody of someone singing.  
  
She paused, recognizing the voice immediately from numerous Talent Nights. Hugh Murphy was an Irish tenor whose voice could melt stone, and the plaintive melody he sang drifted through the dusk, caressing each note. "We pray for one last landing on the globe that gave us birth," he sang. "Let us rest our eyes on the fleecy skies and the cool green hills of Earth."  
  
The tune was in a minor key and sounded old, but the words were teasingly familiar. As the last note faded away, she stepped closer to the fire. Angelo Tessoni saw her first and leaped to his feet. "Captain," he said, sounding surprised.  
  
"At ease, everyone," she said quickly. "I heard the song. It was lovely, Hugh, but I didn't quite recognize it. What was it?"  
  
"It's an old one. 'The Green Hills of Earth.' It's been around forever." Murphy grinned, and she understood why he was so successful in his quest to date every available woman on the ship. "A writer named Heinlein wrote the words decades before man got to the moon. I don't know who wrote the melody, but I always liked it."  
  
Tessoni shifted a little. "Would you care to join us, Captain?"  
  
She looked at the circle around the fire. Several junior officers were there, finishing their meals: Murphy and Tessoni were joined by Jenny Delaney, Jenkins, O'Donnell and Sharr. They all looked at her, waiting for her answer. "Thank you," she said, and sat cross-legged between Tessoni and Sharr. "How's dinner?"  
  
"Not bad, considering," Jenny said. "Neelix is serving the perishables that won't last without refrigeration, so there's a pretty good selection."  
  
"Try Sarexa's _chingaberry_ cobbler," Sharr added. "Don't tell Neelix I said so, but it's better than his."  
  
"All right." Kathryn felt a little confused. She hadn't expected to find this air of normalcy in her crew. They were acting like this was a picnic on the holodeck.  
  
"That was a heck of ride, wasn't it?" Tessoni asked. "We were wondering, Captain, do you have any idea how far we got?"  
  
"Not for certain. Commander Chakotay estimates we covered about ten thousand light years. We'll know more after Astrometrics is up and running again."  
  
Jenny grinned. "If Engineering can get us full power, we'll have the Lab ready for business in no time. I can't wait to find out where we are."  
  
"My bet's on 15,500 light years from Earth," Murphy said, and Jenny dug her elbow into his chest. "Ow! What?" He followed her pointed gaze to Janeway and realized what he'd said. "Uh, that is, if there _was_ any betting going on. Which there isn't. Captain."  
  
"It's all right," Kathryn said, stifling a laugh. She hadn't guessed that a betting book had opened already, but she realized she shouldn't be surprised. "We just won't tell Tuvok about it." The mention of her friend caused her smile to fade.  
  
"How is Commander Tuvok?" Tessoni asked quietly.  
  
"Oh, he was badly injured, but the Doctor assures me he'll be all right." She studied the faces, golden in the firelight. "What about all of you? Are you all right?"  
  
"We're fine," Jack O'Donnell said. "We've survived the Kazon, the Hirogen and the Borg, Captain. It's going to take a lot more than a rough ride to shake us up. How long do you think before we'll be under way again?"  
  
"A while," she replied slowly. "We'll have a better idea tomorrow." She hesitated, then added, "We could be here for quite some time."  
  
They all looked at one another uncomfortably. "Well," Jenny said at last. "It could be worse. At least it's not winter."  
  
"And no hurricanes," Jenkins added with a chuckle.  
  
"Captain," Tessoni said, and his soft voice inspired a sudden stillness as they all seemed to lean in to hear him. "We just covered ten years of travel in twenty days. If we have to spend a several weeks or even months to make repairs, it was worth it."  
  
The wind shifted slightly, blowing the smoke form the campfire in her direction and giving her a good excuse to blink. Hopefully, no one noticed the sudden mist in her eyes. She scrambled to her feet. "Well, I'd better get to the food before Neelix and Sarexa close down. Good night."  
  
"Good night, Captain," several of them replied in unison.  
  
Janeway walked away feeling surprised. They had to be aware of the damage to the ship, and yet not one of them had mentioned the possibility of starting a colony. The Doctor's program had been embraced so enthusiastically, she had simply assumed that would be their first thought. And yet, they were focused on the gains they had made and resuming the journey home.  
  
_How ironic_ , she thought _, that just when I'm forced to consider settling down as a realistic possibility, the crew is eager to press on_.  
  
"Captain," a voice, barely more than a whisper, called out of the shadows.  
  
She stopped and realized she had walked farther than she had intended. She was a good twenty meters past the last campsite. The sound came from the darkness beyond the perimeter. Warily, she responded, "Yes?"  
  
"Captain Janeway."  
  
"Yes." She had that itchy feeling that something was wrong. Suddenly tense, she added, "I can't see you."  
  
A shadow stepped forward. She couldn't make out any features in the dim light, but from the size and shape of the being, and from Chakotay's description of him, she recognized their alien guest. "Jol? Is something wrong?"  
  
"Yes, Captain." He still spoke very quietly. "Please, you must come with me."  
  
There was definitely something wrong. "Where's Mr. Gennaro?" she asked.  
  
"Please, Captain." Jol held out one hand. "There is no time. There will be a war if you do not come."  
  
"A war?" she asked sharply. "Is someone going to attack _Voyager_?"  
  
"Yes," he said. "Please, come with me."  
  
"Not yet," she said. "We have protocols. I can't come alone." She hit her combadge. There was no response. She realized she was beyond the limited range of the crippled comm system. Fixing her gaze on Jol, she closed her hand over the phaser on her waist and raised it. "Let's return to _Voyager."_  
  
Jol's only reaction was to touch a fingertip to a button on his tunic. Almost immediately, she felt the skin-tingling sensation of a transporter.  
  
_Oh, damn,_ Kathryn thought as she felt the dematerialization begin. _Not again._  
  
  



	5. Act 4

  
**ACT FOUR**  
  
**(20:15 -- 20:20)**  
  
The transporter process felt odd, and it was slow, much slower than she was accustomed to. Kathryn fancied she could feel every molecule as it coalesced and regrouped. It was as if her consciousness arrived before the rest of her; she was able to experience the process as a sensory event, noting the pin-pricks of sound, the blurring of colors that slowly came into focus, and most of all, the sudden, surprising throbbing of her heart when she suddenly became a being of flesh and blood again. The whole thing left her momentarily dizzy.  
  
Despite the vertigo, she sensed the space around her was cramped. As her vision cleared, she saw she was on a small transporter pad, just big enough for two and barely tall enough to let her stand erect. Beyond the pad was a small room with a cumbersome control console that left only a narrow egress to the door. The lighting was soft, like sunlight filtered by leaves in a glade, but it couldn't make the room attractive. It was functional, without any attempt at aesthetics.  
  
The technician behind the console was obviously of Jol's species, short and dark, with unnaturally large eyes and streaks of gold running through his hair. His expression, as he stared at Kathryn, was undisguised curiosity. He might have seemed harmless except that he wore a uniform of brown pants and a tunic of brown with sleeves of hunter green, decorated with gold piping at the collar and wrists.  
  
"Please hurry, Captain," Jol said, stepping off the pad.  
  
Anger rushed in to replace the lightheadedness, and she did not move. Her phaser was still pointed at him. "I'm not going anywhere until I get some answers. Am I a prisoner?"  
  
"No, of course not." He looked astonished. "Why would you think that?"  
  
"You just kidnapped me, Jol. Among my people, that is a hostile act."  
  
He looked to the technician, then to Kathryn. "I apologize for the abruptness, but it was necessary. Colonel Rahl will explain." He spoke quickly, and extended a hand. "Please, put your weapon down and come with me. The Colonel is waiting."  
  
She looked around, considering. Jol had made no attempt to disarm her, nor had the technician. They had to know that she could stun them both if she chose. _Might as well find out what's going on,_ she thought. She lowered her phaser but kept it in her hand as she followed Jol.  
  
"Where are we?" she asked as they entered a corridor that was shorter and narrower than anything on _Voyager_ except the Jefferies tubes.  
  
"This is the _Top Bough,_ a patrol ship of the Vordai Space Defense Force."  
  
"I see. And should I assume that you are an officer of that same force?"  
  
Her intentionally icy tone apparently registered with him, because his cheeks darkened to a deep mahogany. "Ah, yes. Again, I apologize, Captain. The deception was necessary."  
  
"You keep using that word -- necessary."  
  
"Yes. Please, Colonel Rahl will explain." He opened a gate that led to a lift platform, and indicated that she should step in. He followed her and touched a control. The platform rose jerkily, knocking Kathryn slightly off balance. The Vordai Space Defense Force apparently didn't place much emphasis on comfort.  
  
She righted herself, still frowning. The little difference in the turbolift drove home the fact that she was alone on an alien ship. She had no way to communicate with _Voyager_. For the time being, she was on her own.  
  
  
  
**(20:20 -- 20:25)**  
  
Chakotay was mad. Furious, to be specific. And he had no one to blame but himself. He was the one who had convinced the captain to trust Jol, to allow him to interact with the crew. His blind faith had resulted in Janeway's abduction. He could only hope that no harm had befallen her.  
  
_If anything happens to Kathryn, I'll snap Jol's neck myself,_ he vowed silently.  
  
His grim thoughts were interrupted when Tom and B'Elanna arrived on the Bridge, concern for their missing captain evident in their faces.  
  
"Chakotay," Tom greeted. "Any word on Captain Janeway?"  
  
"Not yet. I need you and B'Elanna to check the sensors on the shuttles and find out if they've detected anything."  
  
"We'll get right on it," B'Elanna declared.  
  
They headed back the way they'd come just as Neelix and Sarexa arrived and approached Chakotay. "Commander," Neelix greeted.  
  
"What did you and Sarexa see out there, Neelix?" Chakotay asked. "Was there any sign of a ship or a land vehicle that the transport could have originated from?"  
  
"No, sir. We saw Captain Janeway talking to Jol, and after a couple of minutes she started back toward Voyager with Jol following her. But then they both suddenly vanished in the transporter beam."  
  
The XO sighed. "If the communications system was working I could try contacting her via her combadge; but as it is, we can barely contact one another inside the ship," he said. "And sensors still aren't functioning well enough to scan for her combadge signal or her bio signature."  
  
"What about sending out search parties?" Neelix suggested. "Perhaps the facility where Jol is holding Captain Janeway is somewhere on the planet."  
  
Chakotay shook his head. "As anxious as I am to find her, I can't risk sending out search parties in shuttles or on foot until we know who and what we're dealing with."  
  
A chirp from his combadge interrupted their conversation. A moment later, Harry's voice said, _"Kim to Commander Chakotay."_  
  
"Go ahead, Harry."  
  
_"Sir, Ensign Katell and I found Gennaro unconscious in the corridor on Deck Six near the escape hatch."_  
  
Gennaro was the security officer who had been assigned to Jol. This was not good news.  
  
"What's his condition?" Chakotay questioned.  
  
_"He appears to have been stunned, but he doesn't have any injuries. We're going to take him to Sickbay and let the Doc take a look at him."_  
  
"Acknowledged. Ask the Doctor to contact me about his condition once he's finished the exam."  
  
_"Aye, sir."_  
  
"And Harry, once you've delivered Gennaro to Sickbay, I need you to return to the Bridge and assume command. I'm going to take one of the class 2 shuttles and start a preliminary search for the captain."  
  
_"Acknowledged, Commander. I'll be there in five minutes."  
_  
Chakotay's face was grim as he mused bitterly, _So much for luck being on our side!_  
  
As the first officer ended the transmission, Neelix carefully asked him, "With all due respect, Commander, didn't you just say a moment ago that it was too dangerous to send out a search party?"   
  
"I did, but now that we know Jol isn't above assaulting one of our own to get what he wants, it's become too dangerous not to start the search."  
  
  
  
**(20:25 -- 2110)**  
  
As the platform lurched its way to what appeared to be the ship's Bridge, Janeway judged it to be about the same size as a _Defiant_ -class vessel. Although everyone in sight was wearing the brown and hunter green uniform, Colonel Rahl was unmistakable. He stood in the center of the Bridge exuding an air of authority that spoke of command. His dark eyes fixed on her immediately. Although she sensed no threat from them, she held herself ready for anything.  
  
Jol led her off the platform and to his superior officer. "Captain Janeway, may I present Colonel Rahl. Colonel, it is my privilege to introduce Captain Kathryn Janeway, commander of the starship _Voyager_ of the United Federation of Planets."  
  
Rahl bowed deeply from the waist. "Captain Janeway. A difficult way to make First Contact."  
  
She inclined her head. "We're in agreement, Colonel. Jol assures me that you can explain why it was necessary to abduct me."  
  
"Your ship's external communications are not functional, and we have very little time." Rahl gestured to one of his officers. "In a moment, we will be in direct contact with our Minister of Extraplanetary Affairs and the ambassadors from the other worlds in this region. It is imperative that you explain who you are, where you come from, and why you are on that planet."  
  
"I don't understand," she said.  
  
"I realize that you have very little reason to trust me, Captain, but I must ask you to do so. Your presence on this planet is a violation of an interplanetary treaty and may be construed as an act of war. The Minister and the ambassadors will undoubtedly tell you more, but believe me, the fate of your ship and mine depend upon it."  
  
Before she decided to agree, a communications monitor suddenly illuminated. Four humanoids of different species sat stiffly at a table. The Vordai Minister was easy to identify from his dark, bark-like skin and large eyes, but the others were unknown to her. One appeared almost human except for ridges on each cheek and soft pink hair; another was vaguely feline in appearance, with small, pointed ears and a cap of marmalade fur; and the fourth was overwhelmingly beige -- beige skin, beige eyes, beige hair, beige tunic -- with the only spot of color coming from a vivid turquoise feather decorating the shiny bald pate. Interpreting body language of unknown species was tricky, but Janeway felt certain that these four beings were extremely tense -- perhaps as much as she was.  
  
"Colonel Rahl," the Vordai at the table said. His skin was deeply wrinkled and his hair a musty shade of gray. "You promised an explanation for the violation of the Peace."  
  
Rahl gave a short nod. "Ambassadors, the nut of it is, there has been no violation of the Peace. The ship that landed on the Treaty Planet is not from this region. Its crew was unaware of our agreement. Allow me to present its commander to explain further."  
  
Recognizing her cue, she said, "I am Captain Kathryn Janeway, commanding the Federation starship _Voyager._ I apologize if we intruded, but -- _"_  
  
"Federation?" The beige ambassador interrupted her. "What is this Federation?"  
  
"The United Federation of Planets," she explained. "It's a voluntary alliance of more than one hundred and fifty worlds located approximately fifteen thousand light years from here. May I ask whom I am addressing?"  
  
"I am the Ambassador of the Grevel-Ash Republic." She seemed to be affronted that she had not been recognized, and the vivid feather bobbed as if in indignation. "Why is your ship _fifteen thousand_ light years from its own territory?"  
  
"We were brought here against our will," she explained. "Seven of our years ago, a powerful being pulled my ship seventy thousand light years across the galaxy. Unfortunately, he died before he could return us to where we came from. We’ve been journeying home ever since. We mean no harm to anyone. We simply want to get home again."  
  
"Then why," the ambassador with the pink hair asked suspiciously, "did you land on the Treaty Planet?"  
  
"We had no choice. It was an emergency. We were using an experimental propulsion system which we hoped would bring us home more quickly. When it failed, all the other systems on the ship did, too. We had to land while we still had the ability or abandon ship." She looked at them all. "We knew nothing about your treaty or about this planet. If we have violated any laws, I assure you, it was unintentional."  
  
Rahl leaned forward. "The state of emergency is verified, Ambassadors. We have records of the descent and current scans confirming the damage to the ship."  
  
The Vordai minister seemed only slightly appeased. "Now that you've landed," he asked, "what are your intentions?"  
  
"To repair my ship and resume our journey," Janeway said promptly.  
  
"And if this is not possible? Do you intend to colonize that planet?"  
  
From the way all four ambassadors tensed, she sensed that this was a key question. "We have no desire to start a colony. Our only wish is to return home. Our ship is badly damaged. We don't yet know how much time will be required for repairs. But once _Voyager_ is space-worthy, we will leave."  
  
"But if the ship cannot be repaired?" The Vordai ambassador was leaning forward now, staring intently.  
  
"The ship _will_ be repaired." Janeway made certain her tone conveyed no doubt.  
  
The ambassadors all seemed to relax at the same instant. Colonel Rahl said, "You see. It is as I said. There has been no violation of the Peace. These are unlucky travelers who inadvertently trespassed. The Treaty Planet will not be exploited."  
  
The pink-haired ambassador nodded. "I concur. The Gunrath'u Fleet will withdraw."  
  
"As will the Grevel-Ash," the beige ambassador.  
  
"And the Minenne," said the previously silent, fur-capped ambassador.  
  
The Vordai ambassador smiled. "Thank you, Colonel Rahl. You have done us all a great service today. Captain Janeway, we shall expect to see you soon." Rahl bowed as the screen went dark.  
  
Janeway turned to him. "What was that all about?"  
  
"Let me show you." Rahl nodded to a subordinate, and to a screen filled with a tactical display. "That is the Treaty Planet below. The red lights indicate the Gunrath'u ships. The blue lights are the Grevel-Ash, the yellow are Minenne, and the green are Vordai. You just averted a war, Captain."  
  
She looked at the schematic and felt a bolt of alarm. The red lights alone were more than the green and yellow lights combined, while the blue were somewhere in between -- and they were all converging on the planet. Then, as she watched, the ships changed course and began to retreat in four different directions. "I don't understand."  
  
"We live in a delicate balance," he said. "There are four powers contesting for supremacy in this region of space: the Vordai Circle, the Minenne Confederacy, the Grevel-Ash Republic, and the Gunrath Oligarchy. Until ten years ago, there was war between one or the other almost continuously. That planet below was one of the reasons for the animosity."  
  
He touched another control, and the screen showed a sweeping vista of mountain, lake and forest. "This is the northern continent. As you can see, it is a verdant world. It is also a mineralogical treasure trove. And as it happens, it is the last planet in this region suitable for colonization. All four governments covet it. Ten years ago, when the last war ended, we agreed that no one planet would attempt to colonize it until an agreement could be reached for joint development." His voice turned dry. "Ten years later, the politicians are still negotiating the terms. The four worlds take turns patrolling it, assuring that no one tries to gain any advantage over the others."  
  
"So when we landed," she said slowly, "each world thought one of the others was breaking the agreement."  
  
Rahl smiled. "Exactly. You are fortunate, Captain, that the Vordai currently have patrol duty. Our scanning capabilities are far superior to that of the other worlds, and we are not as quick to fire as some. We knew immediately that you were a new species to us. What we didn't know was whether you were working for one of the other worlds."  
  
Janeway finally relaxed, and returned her phaser to its place on her waist. Smiling slightly, she turned to Jol. "You could have asked."  
  
Jol's smile was lopsided. "Had you been our enemy, I doubt you would have admitted it. The deception was necessary to learn the truth."  
  
She turned back to Rahl. "What happens now?"  
  
"I think," he said with a smile, "that you should tell your people you are unharmed." He changed the view on the screen back to the tactical display. In addition to the retreating ships and Vordai patrol, two white lights were rising from the planet's surface. "I believe they are looking for you."  
  
  
  
**(21:00--21:25)**  
  
Inside the shuttle _Copernicus_ , Tom kept the craft at cruising speed, only a few hundred kilometers above the planet's surface, while Chakotay ran continuous scans of the region.  
  
"Are you picking up anything yet?" Tom asked.  
  
"Nothing on the surface," Chakotay answered. "I'm going to switch to long range sensors and see if I can detect any ships in orbit."  
  
He ran his hands across his panel, setting the sensors for maximum range, and waited in impatient silence for the scans to be completed.  
  
"Even if Jol did take the captain to another ship, there's no guarantee it's still around," Tom pointed out.  
  
Chakotay gave him a sideways glance. "Thank you for that optimistic observation, Lieutenant," he replied sarcastically. "Just fly the shuttle."  
  
Tom shook his head but wisely made no reply. Fortunately, the computer beeped at that moment to signal the completion of the scans. Chakotay leaned forward to review the findings and released a heavy sigh.  
  
"We've got trouble," he said. "According to these readings, there are a half dozen ships of unknown origin in orbit above the planet."  
  
"Are they armed?"  
  
"Unfortunately, yes. With _Voyager_ out of commission, we may as well paint a target on the hull."  
  
"What do you want to do?" Tom asked.  
  
"We need to return to _Voyager_ and gather the crew inside the ship," Chakotay answered. "The only chance we have is if radiation and plasma leaks mask the crew's life signs. They may assume we were all killed when the ship crashed."  
  
"We _landed_ ," Tom interjected. "Rather roughly, but it was a landing, not a crash."  
  
"Whatever. Turn the shuttle around and get us back to _Voyager_ at full impulse."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Just then the computer beeped again to signal an incoming transmission from one of the alien vessels.  
  
"We're being hailed," Tom said. "So much for escaping detection."  
  
The XO shot him another glare as he input the command into the computer to respond to the hail. "This is Commander Chakotay aboard the Federation shuttlecraft _Copernicus_. To whom am I speaking?"  
  
_"It's me, Chakotay,"_ Janeway's voice responded.  
  
Tom and Chakotay exchanged a surprised look as the latter said, "It's good to hear your voice, Captain. Are you all right?"  
  
_"I'm fine. I'm on board one of the Vordai ships with Jol and the Vordai commander, Colonel Rahl."_  
  
"And I suppose they have a perfectly legitimate reason for kidnapping you?" Chakotay pressed.  
  
_"More or less."_  
  
"That sounds ominous," Tom muttered under his breath.  
  
"Will they allow us to transport you aboard the shuttle?" Chakotay asked.  
  
_"They're returning me to Voyager. I'll meet you there."_  
  
"Aye, Captain."  
  
_"And by the way, Commander, you were right after all."  
_  
"About?"  
  
_"It appears that luck is finally_ **is** _on our side after all. Janeway out."_  
  
Tom and Chakotay exchanged a dubious look, but said nothing.  
  
  



	6. Epilogue

  
**Epilogue**  
  
**(30:45 -- 31:05)**  
  
The eastern skies were awash with a red and pink sunrise as Kathryn stood before the assembled crew. Nearly one hundred and forty individuals waited for her to speak. Since Tuvok and five other patients were still in Sickbay, the Doctor had remained there with them. She was anxious for her old friend to recover so she could ask how he knew that Vordai ships were in orbit above the planet.  
  
She took a moment to study the faces before her, feeling a surge of affection and of responsibility. Samantha and Naomi Wildman stood side by side, between Neelix and Sarexa on their left and Icheb, Joe Carey and Vorik on their right. Tom stood behind B'Elanna, near Harry and Marla Gilmore. The Delaneys, Lessing, Tessoni, Sofin, and Morrow. Tabor, Jor, and Tal Celes. Her crew looked back at her expectantly. These were her people, and she owed them nothing less than the truth. And nothing less than her best.  
  
Chakotay stood at the far right of the front row. He looked tired, and with reason; like her, he hadn't been able to grab more than a brief nap since the crisis began. When she'd finished her discussions with the Vordai on Voyager, she'd asked her first officer to return her to the _Top Bough_ to formally request Colonel Rahl's assistance, not only to determine their exact position, but also about the possibility of providing food as well as the necessary materials to make _Voyager_ space worthy once more. Now Chakotay gave her an encouraging smile. "Good morning," she began.  
  
"Good morning, Captain," Chell called back.  
  
She smiled at his enthusiasm. "Well. What's the saying -- 'what a difference a day makes'? The day before yesterday, we thought we were on the last leg of our journey. Today, we know we've got a lot of work in front of us. First of all, I want to commend Lt. Torres and her Engineering team for the work they did on the transwarp project. Commander Chakotay was able to confirm our position from orbit. You'll be glad to know that we covered slightly more than 10,000 light years in just three weeks. We are now just 15,300 light years from Earth."  
  
"Yes!" Paris shouted, and the crew as a whole began to applaud. She noted Hugh Murphy was grinning widely, probably thinking he'd won the betting pool.  
  
"I also want to commend all of you, and especially the Security Department, for your response to the crisis yesterday. You performed in the best tradition of Starfleet. I'm proud of you." She paused as they applauded again. Almost everyone was smiling, she saw. They really were a remarkable crew.  
  
"There's more," she went on. "We should know by now that there's no such thing as unclaimed real estate. This lovely planet is a bone of contention between four different worlds. Fortunately, they have all agreed to let us stay here long enough to make repairs. We can set up any temporary structures we need, and if anyone wants to camp out for a while rather than sleep on the ship, we have permission for an unlimited number of tents. However, we cannot build any permanent structures, and we cannot conduct any mining operations. We can gather food supplies, seeds, and cuttings, but we can't plant any crops. We have to leave the planet as we found it.  
  
"I know things looked bleak yesterday, and we still have a big job ahead of us. But I am confident that we will have _Voyager_ back in space soon, and that we will make it back to the Alpha Quadrant -- perhaps not as quickly as we thought yesterday, but we _will_ make it home."  
  
They applauded again, and she heard several people call out, "You bet!" and "Of course we will!" Then she heard Neelix's voice rising above the noise. "Captain? Does this planet have a name?"  
  
"It has four," she said with a laugh. "Each of the four worlds that claim it calls it something different. I prefer the name given to it by our new friends, the Vordai. They call this planet 'New Hope.' Now, I suggest we all get to work. The sooner _Voyager_ is repaired, the sooner we can resume our journey."  
  
The group broke up, with small groups heading off in different directions. She turned to Chakotay. "They're taking this surprisingly well. I thought more of them would be disappointed that we didn't make it home, or even that we aren't going to try to colonize."  
  
"You've said it before; they're a remarkable crew." He smiled. "How about you?"  
  
"I'm fine. I meant what I said. _Voyager_ will fly again, and we will get home." She turned and looked off toward the western horizon. "In the meantime, we can enjoy this place. I hear there's a lake about hundred kilometers over there. Once we've got full power restored, I might go check it out."  
  
"I'm going to hold you to that," he said, his smile widening to a grin. "I'd like to see you in a bathing suit."  
  
She turned back to him and the witty retort she had been on the verge of saying suddenly fled from her mind. His eyes were warm and admiring and that smile... _That smile should be labeled a dangerous weapon_ , she thought. It had a way of sneaking past her guard when she least expected it.  
  
"Captain," Neelix called. She turned to see him bustling toward her with a mug in his hand. "It's not exactly coffee, but it's close."  
  
Both irritated and relieved by the interruption, she took the steaming mug and sniffed it. The aroma reminded her of pecans and nutmeg. Pleasantly surprised, she took a sip. It wasn't coffee, but it wasn't bad, either. "I think I like this. What is it?"  
  
"It's a Vordai blend, made from the bark of nut trees that they roast and grind. Jol gave it to me when I told him you would be missing your coffee until we fix the replicators." He beamed at her, clearly pleased.  
  
"Even when the replicators are up, coffee won't be a priority.” She took another sip. "You might like this, Chakotay. It's not as satisfying as coffee, but it's got a richer, almost earthy flavor compared to tea."  
  
"I don't recommend it if you're going to try to sleep, Commander," Neelix said. "It's highly caffeinated. But if you want some, I have more back at the kitchen. And a pot for your Ready Room, Captain."  
  
"All right, I'll give it a try. I'm not ready to try to sleep yet." Chakotay gestured in the direction of the temporary kitchen and Kathryn fell into step between him and Neelix.  
  
"If we had to land someplace, Captain, we couldn't have been luckier. It's late summer. The fruit trees are ripening and the local wild vegetables are almost ready for harvest. Beside feeding everyone, we'll be able to get enough seeds and cuttings to replenish Airponics and most of the food stores." Neelix was clearly in his element. "When _Voyager_ is ready to lift off, we'll be ready."  
  
"That's good to hear," Kathryn said. Then she stopped in surprise. They had reached the first of the campsites. Harry Kim and Marla Gilmore were lifting a flat board to attach to a post.  
  
"What do you think, Captain?" Harry asked, smiling. "We started it last night, before you disappeared. When you told us the name of the planet, it seemed like serendipity."  
  
The sign read "Camp New Hope" in bright blue letters. Underneath the large ones, smaller letters proclaimed, "Earth or Bust."  
  
A lump formed suddenly in Kathryn's throat, and she couldn't respond for a moment.  
  
Gilmore seemed to take the silence as disapproval. "It's not permanent, Captain. We'll take it with us when we leave."  
  
"I like it," Neelix declared.  
  
Chakotay said quietly, "Captain?"  
  
"Put it up," she said, her voice husky. "It's a good sign." Earth or Bust, indeed _. I'll get them home,_ she promised herself silently. _I will get them home._  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Paramount owns all of Star Trek, including Star Trek: Voyager. We don't. We only give the characters some additional adventures, now that new episodes are no longer being created.
> 
> The original version of this story was written by Penny_P and Andra Marie. For this 2019 re-post, Jamelia116 and Rocky_T provided significant and seamless editing to smooth out some rough edges, and they deserve a big thank you! 
> 
> Next Up: A brand new short story "Eureka!" and three "shorts" that first appeared in late 2001-early 2002: "Midnight Chat," "Insurance," and "Pressure."


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